An Act To Ensure Uniform Emergency Medical Dispatch Services in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0627
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: ADAMS, BLISS, FLETCHER, THIBODEAU

Legislative Document 
No. 627 
H.P.476 
House of Representatives, February 8, 2007 
An Act To Ensure Uniform Emergency Medical Dispatch Services 
in Maine 
(EMERGENCY) 
Submitted by the Department of Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representati ve RINES of Wiscasset. 
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1?1.11!dC~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: ADAMS of Portland, BLISS of South Portland, FLETCHER 
of Winslow, THIBODEAU of Winterport. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, emergency medical dispatch has become a standard of care for persons 
calling E-9-1-1 for medical assistance; and 
Whereas, there is presently no provision for the licensing of dispatch centers to 
provide emergency medical dispatch unless the centers are otherwise identified as public 
safety answering points; and 
Whereas, it is vital that the lack of such a provision be addressed in order to ensure 
that all E-9-l-1 callers in the State are afforded the benefit of emergency medical 
dispatch; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 32 MRS A §85-A, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 303, §3, is amended to read: 
§85-A. Emergency medical dispatch personnel 
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. 
"Bureau" means the Emergency Services Communication Bureau within the 
Public Utilities Commission. 
A-I. "Emergency medical dispatch center" means any entity that holds itself out to 
be a provider of emergency medical dispatch services. 
B. 
"Emergency Medical Dispatch Priority Reference System" means a system 
approved by the bureau and the board that includes: 
(1) A protocol for emergency medical dispatcher response to calls; 
(2) A continuous quality improvement program that measures compliance with 
the protocol through ongoing random case review of each emergency medical 
dispatcher; and 
(3) A training curriculum and testing process consistent with the protocol. 
C. 
"Emergency medical dispatch services" means any of the following services 
provided by a public safety ansvt'ering point in the context of an emergency call made 
to the E-9-1-1 system: 
(1) Reception, evaluation or processing of calls; 
(2) Provision of dispatch life support; 
(3) Management of requests for emergency medical assistance; and 
(4) 
Evaluation or improvement of the emergency medical dispatch process, 
including identifying the nature of an emergency request, prioritizing the urgency 
of a request, dispatching necessary resources, providing medical aid and safety 
instructions to the caller and coordinating the responding resources as needed. 
D. 
"Emergency medical dispatcher" means a person employed by a public safety 
ans'.vering point licensed by the board who provides emergency medical dispatch 
services as a member of an emergency medical dispatch center licensed by the board. 
E. 
"Provider of emergency medical dispatch services" means an emergency medical 
dispatcher or public safety ansvlering point emergency medical dispatch center 
licensed by the board. 
F. 
"Public safety answering point" has the same meaning as in Title 25, section 
2921. 
2. Mandatory qualifications. The board, in consultation with t'he bureau, shall 
adopt rules governing qualifications for and standards to be observed by providers of 
emergency medical dispatch services. The rules must, at a minimum: 
A. 
Require biennial certification of providers of Establish licensing requirements 
for emergency medical dispatchers and emergency medical dispatch services centers; 
B. 
Establish minimum education and continuing education requirements for 
emergency medical dispatchers, including at least 12 hours of emergency medical 
dispatch continuing education each year; 
C. 
Establish a process for approving an Emergency Medical Dispatch Priority 
Reference System that all emergency medical dispatchers are required to follow; 
D. 
Require an emergency medical dispatcher dispatch center to inform the board e.f 
the public safety answering point that when the center employs or supervises the 
terminates employment of an emergency medical dispatcher; 
E. 
Establish or provide for Maine Emergency Medical Services approval of 
emergency medical dispatcher certification training programs, which must be 
conducted in accordance with appropriate national standards approved by the board; 
F. 
Establish qualifications for instructors of emergency medical dispatcher 
certification training programs; 
G. 
Require regular reporting to the board by a public safety answering point an 
emergency medical dispatch center with respect to the use of the Emergency Medical 
Dispatch Priority Reference System; and 
H. 
Require that each public safety answering point emergency medical dispatch 
center appoint a director of emergency medical dispatch services to review and 
ensure compliance with the requirements of this section. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
2-A. Requirement to provide emergency medical dispatch services. A public 
safety answering point or other licensed emergency medical dispatch center must provide 
emergency medical dispatch services on all medical E-9-1-1 calls directly or by 
transferring the call to another licensed emergency medical dispatch service. 
3. Prohibitions. Beginning January 1, 2007, the following provisions apply. 
A. 
A person may not provide emergency medical dispatch services unless the 
person is certified licensed by the board as an emergency medical dispatcher in 
accordance with this section. 
B. 
An entity may not operate as a public safety answering point unless certified 
licensed as an emergency medical dispatch center in accordance with this section. 
C. 
A person may not offer a training course that is represented as a course for 
board-approved emergency medical dispatcher certification training course unless the 
person is approved by the board to provide such training in accordance with this 
section. 
D. 
An eHtity emergency medical dispatch center may not provide emergency 
medical dispatch services except in accordance with an Emergency Medical Dispatch 
Priority Reference System approved in accordance with this section. 
E. An entity may not hold itself out to be a provider of emergency medical dispatch 
services unless it is licensed as an emergency medical dispatch center. 
4. 
Licensing actions. 
A certification license issued pursuant to this section is 
deemed a license for the purposes subject to the provisions of sections 90-A and 91-A. 
Before the board or its subcommittee or staff takes any final action to suspend or revoke a 
certification license or to refuse to reissue a certification license, the board shall contact 
the bureau for input on the effect of such an action on the E-9-1-1 system and, 
notwithstanding section 92, may, to the extent necessary for this purpose, disclose to the 
bureau information that is designated as confidential under section 92. 
5. Effect on tort claims. Nothing in this section increases any liability that may 
arise or be limited under Title 14, chapter 741. 
Emergency clause. 
In view of the emergency cited III the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This bill clarifies the emergency medical dispatch (EMD) role of public safety 
answering points (PSAP) and requires state licensure for all persons and entities engaged 
in EMD. 
The current statute requires certification only for PSAPs and dispatchers 
employed by the PSAPs. 
This bill provides flexibility for PSAPs to enter into 
cooperative agreements with non-PSAPs to provide emergency medical dispatch services, 
and ensures that non-PSAPs engaged in EMD do so in accordance with rules established 
by the Emergency Medical Services' Board.