Free one-hour EMS session Sept. 2 on Alaska's new fingerprint rules

The Alaska Office of EMS opens a free online continuing-education series at 1 pm Wednesday, Sept. 2, starting with an hour on the new background check rules. Registration runs through the course finder in the state's EMS license system.

Beginning Sept. 20, Alaska will screen EMS clinicians with fingerprint-based background checks as it joins the multistate EMS Compact, under a law that passed in June. State EMS Medical Director Michael Levy will walk through the rollout and the office's priorities.

The Compact lets licensed EMS clinicians work across state lines. It is not a national license, and local agencies still decide what a clinician can do. Out-of-state EMTs and paramedics cannot use it in Alaska yet, because the state has not built the system to verify their credentials.

Until then, the office is telling clinicians to wait for instructions before paying anything or submitting fingerprints. The check costs $87 through Sept. 30 and $90 after that, when the FBI's share of the fee goes to $15. That leaves a ten-day window at the lower price once the new rule takes effect.