Purpose:  To define the documentation and process required for the recognition of EMS practitioners who are deployed or activated under military orders in the service of the United States Armed Forces, including any member of the military reserve called to extended active duty. 

The Department will, in most cases, grant an extension of time for a practitioner returning from active military duty to fulfill all continuing education (CE) and CPR requirements, as authorized by the EMS Act, the EMS regulations, 28 Pa. Code

§ 1003.22 (c) and § 1003.23 (d), which permits recertification of a First Responder (FR) and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) if certification has lapsed, and § 1003.28 (c) which requires the ALS service medical director to ensure that an EMT-paramedic (EMT-P) or a Prehospital RN (PHRN) has completed or is completing the applicable CE and CPR requirements and has demonstrated competence in performing each of the services that fall within the scope of the individual’s medical command authorization. 

The process shall be as follows:

This process is applicable to any individual practitioner who has been unable to meet the CE and CPR requirements for recertification/reauthorization or whose certification/authorization has expired while deployed on active military duty. This process shall not apply to such duty as annual training that is a regularly scheduled obligation for reservists or to voluntary active duty for training that is not part of a mobilization. 

Upon return from active duty:

1. The individual will request, in writing, from the EMS Office through the regional EMS council, an extension of time to complete the CE and CPR requirements, if the extension is needed.

2. To verify his/her tour of active military duty, the individual must provide a photocopy of:

   1. orders to active duty and

   2. documentation of the release from active duty

3. In most cases, the individual will be granted an extension of time equal to the length of his/her deployment up to one year to fulfill recertification requirements.  This extension will commence from the date of release from active duty as established by the documentation requested in #2 above. NOTE:  If the practitioner’s certification/authorization has expired, the practitioner is not permitted to practice until his/her certification/authorization has been re-instated.

4. The individual will provide documentation of successful completion of all CE and CPR requirements to the regional EMS council.

5. The practitioner may seek credit for continuing education courses successfully completed while on active military duty through the CE by endorsement process.

In addition, EMT-Paramedics and Prehospital Registered Nurses:

1. If the individual is an ALS practitioner, he/she must comply with the requirements of the Medical Command Authorization/Reauthorization Process to function as an EMT-P or PHRN, i.e. be verified as competent by the ALS service medical director and have completed or be completing the required continuing education and CPR requirements.

2. Until the ALS practitioner obtains medical command reauthorization, the ALS practitioner may function as an EMT for the ALS ambulance service under which the ALS practitioner is seeking reauthorization, for 30 days without securing EMT certification, if approval to do so is granted by the ALS service medical director for that ALS ambulance service.

RC 2003-002 Bulletin
Download Here