The Virginia Office of EMS Emergency Medical Services Training Funds program was developed and implemented by the Office in 2008 following the authorization of additional funding by the Virginia General Assembly. In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly created a legislative subcommittee (HJR-743) to look into different ways to incentivize current volunteer fire and EMS personnel as well as to look at ways to assist with recruitment and retention of new personnel into the volunteer ranks.
The HJR-743 Committee reviewed several different proposals and settled on requesting that the current "$4 for Life" program be increased by .25 cents with all proceeds of the additional monies being directed to the training and continuing education of EMS personnel.
This program is a contract based funding program which is outcomes and performance based. An outcomes-performance model is used in order to ensure that the limited taxpayer dollars used to fund this program are spent to increase the ranks of active, affiliated EMS personnel in the Commonwealth ensuring a high return on investment. The Office takes seriously its responsibility for managing all monies under its budgetary control and the EMS Training Fund program is no exception.
The Emergency Medical Services Training Funds are monies available for EMS Certification programs, auxiliary programs and continuing education programs whose lessons are based upon or resemble the learning objectives in the United States Department of Transportation’s Intermediate-99 and Paramedic curricula and the Enhanced curricula as defined in 12VAC5-31.
The EMS Training Fund program is designed to provide financial assistance for Virginia certified EMS providers and Virginia Office of EMS approved Emergency Medical Services courses. These funds are only open to non-profit entities and individuals' participating in Virginia’s EMS System and shall supplement local support for Emergency Medical Services Courses.
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If you have questions about the EMS Training Funds program, please feel free to contact Warren Short (Warren.Short@vdh.virginia.gov) the EMS Training Funds Contract Administrator via e-mail.
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