BILL NUMBER: S10689
SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
volunteer and municipal ambulance services grant program
 
PURPOSE:
To establish the volunteer and municipal emergency medical services
grant program to support capital needs of volunteer and municipal emer-
gency medical services programs.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1, subdivision 1: Establishes the volunteer and municipal emer-
gency medical services (EMS) grant program.
Section 1, subdivision 2: Definitions.
Section 1, subdivision 3: Establishes that eligible entities that serve
one or more municipalities may seek grants under this program.
Section 1, subdivision 4: Establishes that grants shall be awarded on a
competitive basis through the Department of Health, and that the commis-
sioner shall provide information regarding the grant process prior to
each application cycle; and that no eligible entity shall receive great-
er than ten percent of the available funding in each grant application
cycle.
Section 1, subdivision 5: Requires the commissioner to report on grant
cycles no later than 30 days after completion of such cycle, including
information on the department's website relating to grant applicants,
awardees, and awards.
Section 1, subdivision 6: Directs the commissioner to make rules and
regulations necessary to implement this article.
Section 2. Effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York's rural emergency medical services (EMS) system is in crisis.
It faces severe funding challenges from inadequate reimbursement rates
and overreliance on strained municipal funding, staffing difficulties
and declining volunteerism, and infrastructure and communications prob-
lems such as aging medical equipment and vehicles or poor cell phone and
radio service.
The State's own Rural Ambulance Task Force, in its report released in
Spring, 2026, characterized the rural EMS system as "teetering on the
brink of collapse." Several approaches are needed to address the severe
structural weaknesses of the current system, including but not limited
to existing legislation related to reimbursement rates, defining EMS as
an essential service, and other policy and funding changes.
Capital costs are a particularly difficult problem. The need for large-
scale purchases, whether in specialized vehicles or to acquire or repair
customized buildings, can disrupt rural municipal budgets that are often
under $5M for all purposes, and with EMS funding often falling under
fire districts whose annual funding is under $ 1M. At the same time,
private equity consolidation of both private ambulance companies and
ambulance manufacturers has driven up the cost for local governments to
either contract out services or to purchase or repair their own equip-
ment for municipal companies.
Fortunately there are successful existing models we can learn from to
assist our financially stressed rural EMS companies. The Volunteer Fire
Infrastructure & Response Equipment (V-FIRE) Grant Program was created
in the 2023-24 enacted budget in response to similar challenges volun-
teer fire companies face in our towns and villages. Fire companies,
like EMS companies, have high capital costs for complex building infras-
tructure and specialized vehicles and technology; and like EMS compa-
nies, private equity consolidation in the fire truck market has further
driven up acquisition costs, The V-FIRE program provides capital grants
to volunteer fire companies for such purposes and as of June, 2026 has
released an RFA for $25M in FY 25-26 funding. V-FIRE has been a tremen-
dous boon to our small, rural fire companies, and can serve as a model
for addressing EMS capital needs.
With that in mind, this bill creates a similar program for volunteer and
municipal EMS companies. Such companies, or local governments applying
on their behalf as is permitted in V-FIRE, would be eligible for funding
for capital costs including acquisition or maintenance of buildings,
equipment, technology, or vehicles. The program would run through the
Department of Health, as New York's primary EMS regulatory agency,
including requiring the Department to publish awardee information
publicly, Like V-FIRE, the program would be subject to annual budget
appropriations.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Subject to appropriation,
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a
law.