61-2-501. Legislative findings — purpose. The legislature finds that the provision of prehospital emergency medical service is a critical component of Montana’s health care system because these prehospital services can improve the medical outcomes for people suffering medical emergencies and may improve the safety of motorists on Montana roads by providing emergency response to vehicle crashes. The legislature further finds that emergency medical service providers in many of Montana’s rural areas have difficulty in continuing their operations because of demographic and economic circumstances. It is the purpose of this part to establish a grant program that will support emergency medical service providers by creating a source of funds to cover the costs of buying and maintaining the equipment that an emergency medical service needs in order to be ready to respond to calls.