U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor about the importance of supporting rural fire and EMS agencies.
Durbin said rural EMS providers deliver vital care to their communities while facing workforce shortages and long distances to access hospitals.
Durbin spoke about his bipartisan law, the SIREN Act, which was passed in the 2018 Farm Bill to provide grant funding for public, tribal, and private non-profit fire and EMS agencies in rural communities nationwide.
To extend funding for the SIREN Act grants, Durbin introduced the bipartisan SIREN Reauthorization Act with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME).
Watch the full speech in the video above.