NextGen Day

On its third and final reading, the House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted a bill mandating the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) employees to hold EMT and medical first responder certifications (EMTs).

With 236 votes, House Bill (HB) 6512, also known as the BFP Modernization Act, was passed. It would alter Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) 11589.

The proposed law, which was primarily written by Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, mandates that every fire station have at least one uniformed employee, regardless of rank, who will operate as an emergency medical technician and guide fire personnel in responding to medical situations.

This requirement under HB 6512, according to House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, “will save lives.”

“BFP employees are frequently, if not always, the first responders in emergencies like fires, earthquakes, or car accidents. To assist and save victims, they must have sufficient knowledge in fundamental medical procedures, he said. This is the rationale behind the requirement for emergency medical service (EMS) units in fire departments in many nations, including our own BFP.

The sort and caliber of training that EMS workers receive, according to Romualdez, “may mean life or death for those needing rapid medical aid.”

He brought up a recent incident involving a well-known American football player who had a heart collapse after tackling his opponent. Before being transported to a hospital, first responders performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him for ten minutes.

Many American doctors opined that the player’s career and life were both rescued by the CPR administered by responding professionals.

“Ideally, it is the emergency response we want to accomplish,” said Romualdez. “House Bill No. 6512 requires certification and training for our BPF-EMS employees.”

Emergency medical technicians are described in HB 6512 as “trained and certified pre-hospital emergency care providers who are capable of performing extensive pre-hospital care, endotracheal intubations, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; administering medications orally and intravenously; and using automated external defibrillators and other complex emergency medical equipment.”

A Fire Officer 1 is required to “undergo and complete the Fire Basic Recruit Course, which shall teach the essential information and abilities necessary to satisfy the minimum criteria of fire personnel competency, including advanced first aid and emergency first response,” according to the bill.

The BFP will certify the officer as a medical first responder once the course is complete.

A training program for EMTs must be developed and implemented by the BFP in collaboration with the Department of Health, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the neighborhood Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

In addition to their training and certification as medical first responders, BFP personnel designated as EMTs must also hold an EMT certification.

There will be a five-year grace period for uniformed personnel who are currently employed as of December 31, 2022, and the BFP will pay for their training costs and fees.

By the end of 2022, those who have been in the workforce for more than 15 years are exempt from needing to become certified as EMTs or medical first responders.

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