Alaska joins interstate EMS Compact, taking effect Sept. 20

Eligible paramedics and EMTs licensed in another EMS Compact member state will eventually work in Alaska without a separate state license. But the Alaska Office of EMS said Wednesday that the change, set to take legal effect Sept. 20, will not immediately let clinicians start working under it. Several administrative pieces still need to be built before anyone can use the privilege.

The change comes from House Bill 110, enacted June 23 as Chapter 28, which added Alaska to the Recognition of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact. Eligible clinicians licensed in a member state receive what the compact calls a Privilege to Practice rather than a second license. The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice oversees the agreement, which is law in 28 states and active in 25.

The bill had a mixed path to passage. The Alaska State House passed it 40-0 in February after the Alaska State Senate had rejected earlier licensure compact bills. The Senate later approved the compact, folded into HB 110, by a 13-7 vote before it reached the governor.

The Office of EMS lists the intended benefits as interstate employment, temporary assignments, mutual-aid response, interstate patient transport and recruitment of qualified clinicians. In a Senate Majority caucus release on the bill, Sen. Robb Myers said, "When more EMT's and paramedics are able to practice within the state, it increases our capacity for rapid deployments during emergencies and disasters, but may also entice a few more to call Alaska home."

Alaska rules still apply. A clinician working here under the compact must follow Alaska's scope of practice, agency protocols and medical direction. A compact privilege does not replace an agency's own orientation or credentialing requirements, and it does not place anyone on an agency roster, guarantee employment or replace medical director approval. The office said no clinician should be placed on duty based only on a claim of compact eligibility. Its August draft agency checklist bars putting a clinician to work when the only proof is a screenshot, wallet card or copied document.

In the meantime, the office asked clinicians to make sure their contact and license information in the Alaska License Management System is accurate. It asked EMS agencies to identify who will manage compact verification and onboarding questions. Medical directors, it said, should continue using existing Alaska authorization, competency, protocol and medical-direction requirements.

License verification, the connection to the national compact database, background-check and fingerprint requirements, and disciplinary reporting are still being built, the office said. It advised clinicians to wait for its instructions before submitting fingerprints or paying background-check fees. The national compact website lists an Oct. 1 effective date for Alaska, while a commission news post gives Jan. 1, 2027, with administrative work still to finish. A briefing on the compact is scheduled for Sept. 2 through the Alaska EMS RANGES series.