Legislation being drafted to require EMS personnel to undergo training to help them better interact with those living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias makes sense, at first blush.

Sen. Lynda Culver and House members Maureen Madden and Kyle Mullins are looking for Pennsylvania to join Virginia by requiring training to help EMS providers recognize cognitive impairment and communicate effectively during emergencies. While fire departments can take the training on their own under current law,, Culver, Madden and Mullins want to make the voluntary training a requirement.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 282,000 Pennsylvanians aged 65 years or older live with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Advocates have been pushing states to require training because, in their opinion, first responders need dementia-specific instruction or continuing education in order to best help those with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Culver, Madden and Mullen are proposing training that helps first responders to identify cognitive impairment, communicate effectively and de-escalate situations as they happen. Virginia, Illinois and Ohio have similar recently enacted bills on the books.

The training makes sense as long as the lawmakers craft a proposal that isn’t onerous or costly on volunteer fire departments that are already struggling to fill their membership ranks. The last thing anyone wants is to create another reason for people to decide they don’t want to join a volunteer fire department.

In our opinion, this is a piece of legislation that should sail through the legislature.