Paramedic license mistake results in $250 penalty

FD fire chief: Patient care wasn’t compromised

By BILL SHEA

bshea@messengernews.net

and IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH

A Fort Dodge firefighter/paramedic paid a $250 penalty after state officials listed his emergency medical license as inactive in 2021.

The license for Jason Reynolds was promptly restored to active status after he submitted documentation of continual education hours he completed, according to Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter.

"At no time was any patient care compromised or provided below any standard of care due to this clerical error," he said.

Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that the Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services, which is part of the state Department of Health and Human Services, cited Reynolds for practicing without a valid certificate. The bureau alleged that he responded to 166 emergency medical calls after his license expired in March 2021.

According to Hergenreter, the additional training Reynolds completed to maintain his license did not get reported to state officials when they requested it because the request was sent to an email address he no longer used.

He added that Reynolds was participating in emergency medical training during the entire time the state considered his license to be expired.

In Iowa, paramedics must complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years.

The Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services can demand that paramedics produce a transcript of the training they completed over that two-year period.

According to Hergenreter, Reynolds was selected at random for one of those transcript checks. He said the request was sent to an email address Reynolds no longer used.

After getting no reply, state officials listed Reynolds' license as inactive.

Sometime last year, Terry Evans, the Fire Department's emergency medical service supervisor, noticed that Reynolds' license was listed as inactive on a state web site. After contacting state officials, Evans learned that because Reynolds did not respond to the initial request or any other emails, his license was moved to inactive status.

"Jason took ownership of not updating the email change and immediately provided the transcript of his continual education hours he had completed over the past two-year period," Hergenreter said. "Those actions were all completed in one day. Jason was immediately moved back to active."