An Act To Allow Emergency Responders To Equip Their Vehicles with 2 Emergency Flashing Lights
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0243
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: DA VIS, EDGECOMB
Amends: 29-A MRSA §2054

Legislative Document 
No. 243 
H.P.182 
House of Representatives, January 18, 2005 
An Act To Allow Emergency Responders To Equip Their Vehicles 
with 2 Emergency Flashing Lights 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative DA VIS of Falmouth. 
Cosponsored by Representative: EDGECOMB of Caribou. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Jrj~'1J7.~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§l, 'lIB, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
451, Pt. T, §14, is further. amended by amending subparagraphs 
(17) and (18) to read: 
(17) 
A vehicle operated by a qualified deputy sheriff 
or 
other 
qualified 
individual 
to 
perform 
court 
security-related functions and services as authorized 
by the State Court Administrator pursuant to Title 4, 
section 17, subsection 15; SF 
(18) 
A Federal Government vehicle operated by a 
federal law enforcement officerTL 
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§l, 'lIB, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
451, Pt. T, §14, is further amended by enacting subparagraphs 
(19) and (20) to read: 
(19) 
A personal vehicle operated by an active member 
of a municipal or volunteer fire department, only when 
the member is en route to or at the scene of a fire or 
other emergency: or 
(20) 
A personal vehicle operated by an active member 
of a municipal emergency medical service, only when the 
member is en route to or at the scene of an emergency. 
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§2, 'lIA, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 
683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
A. 
Only an ambulance; an emergency medical service vehicle; 
a fire department vehicle: a police vehicle; a Department of 
Conservation 
vehicle 
used 
for 
forest 
fire 
control; 
a 
Department of Corrections vehicle as described in subsection 
I, 
paragraph 
B, 
subparagraph 
(6); 
a 
personal 
vehicle 
operated by an active member of a municipal or volunteer 
fire department or an emergency medical service, only when 
the member is en route to or at the scene of a fire or other 
emergency: and a highway maintenance vehicle may be equipped 
with a device that provides for alternate flashing of the 
vehicle's headlights. 
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§2, 'lIF, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
510, Pt. C, §9 and affected by c. 599, §§12 and 13, is further 
amended to read: 
F. 
Only vehicles listed in this 
vehicles as provided in paragraph C, 
paragraph, 
rural mail 
subparagraph (5) and 
school buses may be equipped with, display or use a 
red 
auxiliary or emergency light. 
(1) 
Emergency 
lights 
used 
on 
an 
ambulance, 
an 
emergency medical service vehicle, a fire department 
vehicle, 
a 
fire 
vehicle 
or 
a 
hazardous 
material 
response vehicle must emit a red light or a combination 
of red and white light. 
(2) 
The municipal officers or a 
municipal official 
designated by the municipal officers, with the approval 
of the fire chief, may authorize an active member of a 
municipal or volunteer fire department to use 
a 
f±asRiB~ !'ea 
si~Ba± 
±i~R~ Be~ me!'e 
~RaB § 
iBeRes iB 
aiame~e!' any combination of 2 flashing red or white 
lights on a vehicle. 
The ±i~R~ lights may be displayed 
but may be used only while the member is en route to or 
at the scene of a fire or other emergency. 
The 
±i~R~ 
lights must be mounted as near as practicable above the 
registration plate on the front of the vehicle or on 
the dashboard. 
A light mounted on the dashboard must 
be 
shielded 
so 
that 
the 
emitted 
light 
does 
not 
interfere with the operator's vision. 
(3) 
Members of an emergency medical service licensed 
by Maine Emergency Medical Services may display and use 
lights on a vehicle a 
f±asRiB~ !'ea si~Ba± ±i~R~ ef ~Re 
same 
p!'epe!'~ieB, in the same location and under the 
same 
conditions 
as 
those 
permitted municipal 
and 
volunteer firefighters, 
when authorized by the chief 
official of the emergency medical service. 
Sec. 5. 29-A MRS A §2054, sub-§lO is enacted to read: 
10. 
Use of lights; requirements; revocation. 
Prior to 
exercising the privilege of using emergency lights granted under 
subsection 2, paragraph F, an active member of a municipal or 
volunteer 
fire 
department 
or 
an 
emergency 
medical 
service 
operating a 
vehicle listed under subsection 1, paragraph B t 
subparagraphs (19) and (20) must have completed a state-certified 
emergency vehicle operators or emergency ambulance operators 
course. 
The privilege of using lights may be revoked at any time by the 
fire chief or the chief official of the emergency medical service 
for misconduct. 
SUMMARY 
This bill permits municipal and volunteer firefighters and 
emergency medical services personnel to use any combination of 2 
flashing red or white lights on personal vehicles while en route 
to or at the scene of fires or other emergencies. 
It also 
provides that such vehicles are covered by the rules of operation 
applying 
to 
authorized 
emergency 
vehicles. 
The 
bill 
also 
requires that a person may use flashing lights on a personal 
vehicle 
only 
upon 
completion 
of 
a 
state-certified emergency 
vehicle operators or emergency ambulance operators course.