An Act To Provide Preventive Counseling to Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services' Persons as Part of Their Training
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1188
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: GRIFFIN, GUERIN, DOLLOFF, FECTEAU, GROHOSKI, JAVNER, TUELL, MOORE
Amends: 30-A MRSA §3154, 32 MRSA §85

Legislative Document
No. 1188
H.P. 862
House of Representatives, March 12, 2019
An Act To Provide Preventive Counseling to Firefighters and 
Emergency Medical Services' Persons as Part of Their Training
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GRIFFIN of Levant.
Cosponsored by Senator GUERIN of Penobscot and
Representatives: DOLLOFF of Rumford, FECTEAU of Augusta, GROHOSKI of Ellsworth, 
JAVNER of Chester, TUELL of East Machias, Senator: MOORE of Washington.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  30-A MRSA §3154, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and 
Pt. C, §106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is 
further amended to read:
2.  Training; mandatory preventive and post-trauma counseling.  All municipal 
firefighters and volunteer firefighters shall attend training sessions as scheduled by the 
fire chief and shall participate in mandatory preventive and post-trauma counseling, at 
which a counseling professional licensed under Title 32, chapter 119 or the fire 
department chaplain, if the fire department has a chaplain, must be available to work with 
the firefighters, as required by the fire chief.
Sec. 2.  32 MRSA §85, sub-§7 is enacted to read:
7.  Preventive and post-trauma counseling.  With advice from and in consultation 
with each regional council and its medical control committee and with the statewide 
emergency medical services' medical director, the board may provide by rule 
requirements for preventive and post-trauma counseling for basic and advanced training 
for emergency medical services' persons for initial licensing and relicensing.  The 
requirements may include the services of a counseling professional licensed under Title 
32, chapter 119 or a chaplain, as determined by the ambulance service or nontransporting 
emergency medical service, to be provided by  ambulance services and nontransporting 
emergency medical services.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine 
technical rules as defined by Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill requires that firefighter training include preventive and post-trauma 
counseling, at which a counseling professional licensed under the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 32, chapter 119 or the fire department chaplain must be available to work 
with the firefighters, as required by the fire chief.  The bill provides that, with advice 
from and in consultation with each regional council and its medical control committee 
and with the statewide emergency medical services' medical director, the Emergency 
Medical Services' Board may adopt routine technical rules setting mandatory 
requirements for preventive and post-trauma counseling for basic and advanced training 
for emergency medical services' persons for initial licensing and relicensing.  The 
requirements may include the services of a counseling professional licensed under Title 
32, chapter 119 or a chaplain to be provided by ambulance services and nontransporting 
emergency medical services.