North Dakota lawmakers are exploring using telemedicine technology to ease staffing strains on rural emergency medical services, a potential solution to a growing shortage of paramedics and volunteer responders across the state.

Though some solutions were floated and passed during the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers are working to understand the scope of the problem before proposing additional legislative changes in 2027.

The state has been facing a societal decline in volunteerism, which strains traditional volunteer firefighter and emergency medical services that support rural communities, said Sen. Josh Boschee, D- Fargo. Adding to pressure, when a rural ambulance service shuts down, the responsibility falls to neighboring ambulance services to answer calls in the defunct ambulance service’s coverage area.

How could telemedicine ease strains on rural EMS staffing?

One idea presented to the Emergency Response Services Committee on Wednesday to potentially alleviate some of the stress on rural ambulances is expanding access to technology in the field for emergency medical personnel.

Emergency medicine technology company Avel eCare presented to the committee its system, which allows ambulance personnel to be connected by video with emergency medicine physicians, experienced medics or emergency nurses in the field wherever there is cell reception. The company already operates its mobile service in South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas, according to the company’s presentation.

Avel eCare said this allows medics and paramedics to have any questions they have answered and provides a second person to help document actions taken when there is only one person in the back of an ambulance with a patient, which they say is increasingly common in rural areas. This allows one medic or paramedic to put more focus on the patient.

The company said it is innovating the ability to also bring medical personnel into the call from whatever care center the ambulance is heading to, allowing the care center to better prepare for the ambulance’s arrival.

Lawmakers said they were interested in the system and could see how it would provide a benefit to thinly stretched EMS personnel.

Boschee said the state should consider funding the system, citing its potential to support local EMS providers and help retain volunteers.

Avel eCare did not provide a cost estimate for North Dakota, but offered South Dakota as an example. That state used general fund dollars to provide the Avel eCare service free of charge to agencies. The state paid $1.7 million in up-front costs for equipment — enough to outfit 120 ambulances — and an annual subscription cost of $937,000 to provide their services to 109 ambulances serving 105 communities in the state.

“I think specifically … how affordable that type of solution is for us to not only support our local EMS providers, but also to keep volunteers longer,” he said. “Folks know that they have that support network when they’re in the back of the rig taking care of a patient. That helps add to people’s willingness to serve longer. And so I think that’s a great, affordable option we have to look at, especially as we start going in the next couple months and continue to talk about rural health care transformation.”

Rural EMS shortages go beyond pay, state officials say

There are 28 open paramedic positions in the state, according to Workforce Services Director Phil Davis’ presentation. The difficulty in filling these positions is not just about money, though that certainly plays a factor in recruiting people, his report said.

“I’ll just speak from my experience with my own agency,” Davis said. “After 18 years, it’s very hard for us to even recruit individuals into Job Service North Dakota because of the lower wages.”

Davis showed that 2024 salaries for emergency medical technicians were fairly even across the eight regions Workforce Services breaks the state into, with a roughly $6,500 gap between the highest and lowest averages. Law enforcement officer pay varied by about $8,320, while firefighter salaries were the biggest outlier, with a $20,000 difference between regions. While state wages may lag nationally, other factors are making rural recruiting particularly difficult.

Davis said it was largely a lifestyle change; people are not seeking to live rurally as often.

“We’re starting to see the smaller communities, for the most part — not all — starting to lose that population. And it is tougher to get individuals to move there or to be employed there,” Davis said.

Job Service North Dakota is holding job fairs to try to recruit more emergency services personnel, with some success, he said, and has nine workforce centers across the state working directly with small communities to help with their staffing shortages.

Davis advocated for more education in schools about career paths in emergency services and the openings that are available in the state.

© 2025 The Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, N.D.). Visit www.bismarcktribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

DICKINSON — A 70-year-old Dickinson man

charged with murder in 2024

was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison after the charges against him were dropped to manslaughter. According to court documents, he will only be in custody for about four and a half more years.

Nine years were suspended from Jeffrey Powell’s sentence along with 532 days or about one and a half years for time already served.

Barring future developments, Powell will be incarcerated at the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for

the death of 59-year-old Christopher Volney Ische

for about four and a half more years.

That’s just months more than the four-year minimum sentence, according to the Stark County State’s Attorney Amanda Engelstad.

The initial incident happened on July 3, 2024. Police said the shooting, which resulted in Ische’s death, happened around 7 p.m. in a residential neighborhood in Dickinson after a verbal altercation. Police also said Powell had stayed on the scene of the shooting and talked with officers.

At the time of Powell’s arrest, police said they presumed Ische’s death was an isolated incident. He has been held at Southwest Multi-County Correctional Center (SWMCCC) since the incident with a $2 million bond.

Powell

was initially charged with a Class AA felony

, which could carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, Powell was found guilty of manslaughter of an adult victim, which is a Class B felony.

Powell pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charge.

Engelstad said to The Press that the difference in charges was based on evidence presented in the trial and was an “appropriate resolution.”

Different sentencing rules applied to Powell, however, because of how North Dakota law interprets the use of a firearm in cases like this.

During the trial, the court found that Powell was a dangerous special offender pursuant to NDCC 12.1-32-09. This portion of North Dakota law allows the court to sentence above normal charges. In Powell’s case, a class B felony typically carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. With the dangerous special offender finding, the sentence can be a maximum of 20 years.

Engelstad said the State had argued for a sentence of 20 years.

“I’m disappointed in the outcome,” said Engelstad.

Additional terms of Powell’s sentence include five years’ supervised probation, along with no contact with the family of the deceased for the same length of time.

If Powell does not violate these terms, his probation will end in 2035. He is scheduled to be released from custody June 23, 2030.

A total of $775 in fees for Powell’s case, including criminal administration, facility admin and victim witness fees, were waived. He may be required to pay restitution. The State’s Attorney’s office has 60 days from the date of judgment to file an affidavit of restitution.

(FOX 9) – Blizzard warnings are in for parts of both North and South Dakota, creating hazardous conditions for drivers on Thursday morning.

Blizzard warning in effect

What we know:

In North Dakota, the blizzard warning covers most of the northern two-thirds of the state, stretching into northwest Minnesota.

In South Dakota, the blizzard warning only covers three counties in the far northeast part of the state, including Day, Marshall, and Robert counties.

The National Weather Service is only forecasting between one and four inches of snow in North Dakota and two inches of snow in South Dakota, but whipping winds up to 70 miles per hour will greatly reduce visibility and cause damage to trees and power lines.

READ MORE: White-out conditions reported in NW Minnesota

What they’re seeing:

North Dakota Highway Patrol shared photos showing the blizzard conditions along Interstate 94 just east of Bismark. In the photos, it appears you can only see a few feet past the front bumper of the squad.

Another post shows snow whipping in the high winds in Grand Forks County. Troopers are urging residents to stay home in North Dakota if they are able.

Travel restrictions in place

Big picture view:

A travel alert is in effect for western parts of North Dakota while no travel is advised for central and eastern parts of the state. Troopers have restricted oversized loads from roads in the northwest and northeast regions of the state as of 5:30 a.m. and empty or light-loaded high-profile vehicles due to the high winds and icy conditions.

In South Dakota, officials warn that there are reports of multiple downed powerlines and trees blocking roadways. No travel is advised in Day and Marshall counties.