An Act To Allow Municipal and Volunteer Firefighters To Operate Motor Vehicles as Authorized Emergency Vehicles
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0591
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: SAVIELLO, DUTREMBLE, BLACK
Amends: 29-A MRSA §2054

Legislative Document 
No. 591 
S.P. 207 
In Senate, March 3, 2015 
An Act To Allow Municipal and Volunteer Firefighters To Operate 
Motor Vehicles as Authorized Emergency Vehicles 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator SAVIELLO of Franklin. 
Cosponsored by Senator: DUTREMBLE of York, Representative: BLACK of Wilton. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§1, ¶B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, 
§5 and repealed and replaced by c. 691, Pt. A, §30, is further amended to read: 
B.  "Authorized emergency vehicle" means any one of the following vehicles: 
(1)  An ambulance; 
(2)  A Baxter State Park Authority vehicle operated by a Baxter State Park 
ranger; 
(3)  A Bureau of Marine Patrol vehicle operated by a coastal warden; 
(4)  A Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry vehicle operated by 
a forest ranger; 
(5)  A Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry vehicle used for 
forest fire control; 
(6)  A Department of Corrections vehicle used for responding to the escape of or 
performing the high-security transfer of a prisoner, juvenile client or juvenile 
detainee; 
(7)  A Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife vehicle operated by a warden; 
(8)  A Department of Public Safety vehicle operated by a police officer appointed 
pursuant to Title 25, section 2908, a state fire investigator or a Maine Drug 
Enforcement Agency officer; 
(9)  An emergency medical service vehicle; 
(10)  A fire department vehicle; 
(11)  A hazardous material response vehicle, including a vehicle designed to 
respond to a weapon of mass destruction; 
(12)  A railroad police vehicle; 
(13)  A sheriff's department vehicle; 
(14)  A State Police or municipal police department vehicle; 
(15)  A vehicle operated by a chief of police, a sheriff or a deputy sheriff when 
authorized by the sheriff; 
(16)  A vehicle operated by a municipal fire inspector, a municipal fire chief, an 
assistant or deputy chief or, a town forest fire warden or, pursuant to subsection 
5-A, a municipal or volunteer firefighter; 
(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; 
(18)  A Federal Government vehicle operated by a federal law enforcement 
officer;  
(19)  A vehicle operated by a municipal rescue chief, deputy chief or assistant 
chief; 
(20)  An Office of the Attorney General vehicle operated by a detective 
appointed pursuant to Title 5, section 202; 
(21)  A Department of the Secretary of State vehicle operated by a motor vehicle 
investigator; and 
(22)  A University of Maine System vehicle operated by a University of Maine 
System police officer. 
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§2, ¶F, as amended by PL 2005, c. 299, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
F.  Only vehicles listed in this paragraph, rural mail vehicles as provided in paragraph 
C, 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, a rescue 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 A municipal or volunteer firefighter 
authorized to operate a motor vehicle as an authorized emergency vehicle 
pursuant to subsection 5-A may use one red or combination red and white 
flashing auxiliary light mounted as near as practicable above the front registration 
plate on the front of the vehicle, behind the rearview mirror or on the dashboard 
or 2 flashing red or combination red and white auxiliary lights mounted on the 
front of the vehicle above the front bumper and below the hood.  The light or 
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.  A light mounted on the dashboard or 
behind the rearview mirror must be shielded so that the emitted light does not 
interfere with the operator's vision.  The use of lights may be revoked at any time 
by the fire chief. 
(3)  Members of an emergency medical service licensed by Maine Emergency 
Medical Services may display and use on a vehicle red or red and white 
combination flashing auxiliary lights of the same proportion, 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. The use of lights may be revoked at any time by the chief official of the 
emergency medical service. 
Sec. 3.  29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§5-A is enacted to read: 
5-A.  Municipal or volunteer firefighter.  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 operate a 
motor vehicle as an authorized emergency vehicle if the person has at least one year of 
emergency response experience and successfully completed an emergency vehicle 
operations course or similar training approved by the fire chief.  That person may operate 
a motor vehicle as an authorized emergency vehicle when responding to or at the scene 
of, but not when returning from, an emergency call or fire alarm.  The fire chief may 
revoke the authorization under this subsection at any time. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows a municipal or volunteer firefighter trained and experienced in 
emergency vehicle operations to operate a motor vehicle as an authorized emergency 
vehicle.