McKeesport, March 24, 2022 – State Senator Jim Brewster today reminded Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies in Pennsylvania to complete the online certification to receive some of the $25 million made available by the American Rescue Plan Act to support these companies.
The Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) opened the online Certification Portal where eligible EMS agencies must complete certification by Sunday, April 10 to be awarded grant funding through the Emergency Medical Services COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program. The grant program was established through Act 10 of 2022.
“Throughout the pandemic, EMS workers and our health care professionals have been sacrificing so much of themselves in our communities,” Brewster said. The creation of our grant program was a bi-partisan effort and passed unanimously to help boost necessary resources these EMS companies need to continue to save lives.”
Brewster noted that the OSFC will not accept any late certifications for the grant program. Some items required for the grant, like an active SAMS registration, can take up to three weeks for processing so it is important that agencies start the certification process as soon as possible. Grant funding through the Emergency Medical Services COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program will be divided equally among all agencies that process certification by April 10.
I encourage all eligible EMS agencies to complete online certification as soon as possible to ensure that they receive their portion of the available $25 million in grant funding, Brewster added.”
A list of eligible EMS companies is available online. If you believe your company should be eligible for grant funding and is not listed, please email the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of EMS at [email protected] immediately.
More information about the Emergency Medical Services COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program can be found here.