Ambulance groups meet to discuss staffing, assaults on paramedics

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Ambulance groups meeting Tuesday to discuss first responder challenges

EMS crews are fighting for state and federal funding.

Ambulance groups from around the state met on Tuesday to discuss the challenges first responders face.

EMS crews have been stretched thin since the pandemic and they’ve been fighting for state and federal funding.

Some of the big issues they addressed were staffing and assaults on paramedics.

Hennepin County data shows 241 threat and assault cases were reported between January and October of 2024 compared to 121 for all of 2023.

Crews at Hennepin Health have received de-escalation and self-defense training, but the uptick in mental health and drug addiction calls has made some situations more unsafe for medics.

“Certainly, stiff penalties for people who try to do harm to our teams,” said EMS Chief Martin Scheerer with Hennepin Healthcare. “We’re just there to help and there are people trying to harm us, which is really unfortunate.”

Ambulance groups have also been fighting for funding.

RELATED: Lawmakers continue fight for more EMS funding

Gov. Walz signed off on $30 million for rural ambulance services last year. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar also announced funding to bolster rural services.