Alaska Appoints Todd McDowell as Commissioner as the EMS Compact Goes Live in Alaska

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WASHINGTON, DC (9 OCTOBER 2026)— The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice today announced the appointment of Todd McDowell, NRP, as Alaska’s inaugural EMS Compact Delegate and Commissioner to the Interstate Commission, as the EMS Compact goes live in Alaska. The State of Alaska made the appointment through Heidi Hedberg, Alaska’s State Health Commissioner, who leads the Alaska Department of Health, on September 15, 2026, effective September 20, 2026, the date Alaska’s participation in the EMS Compact took effect. Commissioner McDowell was officially recognized and seated by the Commission on September 30, 2026. He serves as EMS System Manager in the Section of Rural and Community Health Systems, Division of Public Health, Alaska Department of Health, the state EMS authority.

In his role as EMS System Manager, EMS Compact Commissioner McDowell serves as the state’s designated representative to the Interstate Commission. He brings to the Commission the perspective of a state with one of the most distinctive EMS systems in the nation, combining urban systems with extensive rural and remote operations supported by aeromedical transport and tribal health partners.

“We are pleased to welcome EMS Compact Commissioner McDowell to the Interstate Commission,” said Kraig Kinney, JD, NRP, Chair of the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice. “Alaska’s geography makes a mobile, accountable EMS workforce essential, and the Privilege to Practice gives Alaska and its neighboring participating states a modern tool for meeting that need. We look forward to EMS Compact Commissioner McDowell’s contributions to advancing interstate EMS practice and protecting the public.”

The EMS Compact Goes Live in Alaska

Alaska enacted the EMS Compact as part of an omnibus healthcare licensing compacts bill. House Bill 110 (34th Legislature) became law on June 22, 2026, as Chapter 28, SLA 2026, making Alaska the 28th state to enact the EMS Compact. The legislation, codified at Alaska Statutes § 18.08.105, took effect on September 20, 2026, and the EMS Compact is in force in Alaska as of October 9, 2026. Alaska is now the 27th state in which the Compact is in force.

With the Compact in force, qualified EMS clinicians licensed in other participating states hold a Privilege to Practice in Alaska, and Alaska-licensed EMTs, Advanced EMTs, and Paramedics hold a Privilege to Practice in the other participating states. Alaska’s licensure data is fully integrated with the National EMS Coordinated Database. There is no application, card, or fee: the Privilege to Practice is automatic recognition under state law for clinicians who hold a current, unrestricted license and meet the Compact’s qualifications. The Alaska Department of Health retains full investigative and enforcement authority over every clinician practicing in Alaska.

For more information about the EMS Compact, participating states, or to validate an EMS clinician’s Privilege to Practice, please visit www.emscompact.gov.

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About the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice
The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice is the governmental authority in the United States responsible for coordinating, regulating, and overseeing the interstate practice of Emergency Medical Services. Established by the Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact (REPLICA) legislation, the Commission is composed of appointed Commissioners from each Compact participating state and is vested with the authority to enforce compliance, administer national operations, resolve multistate regulatory and disciplinary issues, operate the National EMS Coordinated Database, and facilitate immediate license recognition and the Privilege to Practice across state lines. The EMS Compact has been enacted as law in 28 states. Of those, 27 states have implemented the Compact with active Privilege to Practice recognition, enabling more than 450,000 EMS clinicians to deliver care wherever and whenever needed—supporting routine operations, surge staffing, disaster response, recruitment and retention, and the demands of a modern, mobile workforce. The remaining state, Connecticut, has enacted the Compact with a delayed effective date. The Commission safeguards public protection, enhances national preparedness, and stands as the definitive model for multistate licensure in healthcare.

The EMS Compact is law in the following states:
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Georgia • Idaho • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Louisiana • Mississippi • Missouri • Nebraska • Nevada • North Dakota • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming