Concerns from rescue squads growing that Senate Bill 47 might not pass

BUTLER COUNTY, Ky. – While the Kentucky legislative session is adjourned until next week, there are some in the community that are worried that a valuable piece of legislation might not make it to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk.

Senate Bill 47 would help define rescue squads as first responders and offer important protections to members of rescue squads and their families.

One rescue squad chief says he is concerned that this bill may not pass, leaving rescue squad members and their families in a difficult place if the worst case scenario were to happen.

“Well, my concern is that it won’t get passed. Because this benefits all search and rescue rescue squads. Anybody that does mission pay people water rescue a bunch of us does still does extrication. So we put our life on the line just as a firefighter, EMS, police officer. But we’re still growing,” said Butler County Rescue Squad chief Brandon Keown.

Similar legislation has already been passed for other first responders, such as in 2006, when legislation was passed offering free tuition to children of injured police and firefighters, and in 2016, offering financial help to families of EMS personnel killed while on duty. Keown says that while they maybe volunteers they are still professionals.

“Volunteering, I don’t like that word. We’re professionals. Yeah. We don’t get paid. That’s the way I look at, we don’t get paid, but we’re still professional when it comes to the game. We go through the trainings and stuff, just like a paid department does,” Keown said.

Right now, the Senate has unanimously passed the bill and has sent it to the house for their vote. However, they will have very little time before the legislative session ends.