Volunteer emergency medical services becoming less prevalent as they run short of volunteers

Volunteer EMTs in Maddock, N.D.

Volunteer emergency medical service squads appear to be dying out as rural populations change and EMS evolves. Volunteer squads have long been the sole emergency responders in many rural areas, reports Candi Helseth of the health-oriented Rural Assistance Center, but according to a 2010 study, "Rural Volunteer EMS: Reports from the Field," 69 percent of 49 local EMS directors in 23 states reported problems recruiting and retaining volunteers.

The North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center study reported three main reasons for loss of EMS volunteers: high numbers of retirees or elderly in rural areas are unlikely to have physical strength required for EMS, many working-age individuals leave rural areas to find jobs elsewhere, and volunteers have too many obligations to cover weekends. Voluinteer fire departments have reported similar problems.

Almost three-quarters of the all-volunteer EMS agencies hosted fundraising events to get necessary funding, requiring further time commitments. At least one-half of these agencies have started some type of paid compensation, but it's still less than maintaining a full-time staff. Twenty percent of EMS leaders reported being "uncertain of their ability to maintain future service," and 8 percent were "frankly pessimistic" about the future. (Read more)