An Act To Enhance Use of Critical Incident Stress Management Teams for Firefighters
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1504
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: GRAMLICH, GROHOSKI, O'CONNELL, SACHS, SHEEHAN, STEWART
Amends: 25 MRSA §4201, 25 MRSA §4203

Legislative Document
No. 1504
H.P. 1114
House of Representatives, April 15, 2021
An Act To Enhance Use of Critical Incident Stress Management 
Teams for Firefighters
Received by the Clerk of the House on April 13, 2021.  Referred to the Committee on 
Criminal Justice and Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to 
Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GRAMLICH of Old Orchard Beach.
Cosponsored by Representatives: GROHOSKI of Ellsworth, O'CONNELL of Brewer, SACHS 
of Freeport, SHEEHAN of Biddeford, Senator: STEWART of Aroostook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  25 MRSA §4201, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 89, §1, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Critical incident.  "Critical incident" means a work-related incident that causes or 
has the potential to cause an employee or member of a public safety agency, a fire 
department or an organization involved in emergency care or response, a corrections officer 
as defined in section 2801‑A, subsection 2, a firefighter or an employee of a county jail or 
a detention or correctional facility operated by the Department of Corrections to experience 
emotional or physical stress.  "Critical incident" includes, but is not limited to, use-of-force 
encounters that may result in the death of or serious injury to another person or an officer, 
member or employee, fires or other public safety emergencies, fatal motor vehicle 
accidents, child abuse investigations, emergency care or response operations and death 
investigations.
Sec. 2.  25 MRSA §4201, sub-§2-A is enacted to read:
2-A.  Commissioner.  "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Safety.
Sec. 3.  25 MRSA §4201, sub-§3-A is enacted to read:
3-A.  Fire department.  "Fire department" means the State Fire Marshal, a municipal 
fire department under Title 30-A, section 3151, subsection 1, a volunteer fire association 
under Title 30-A, section 3151, subsection 3 or a fire district under Title 30-A, chapter 164.
Sec. 4.  25 MRSA §4201, sub-§3-B is enacted to read:
3-B.  Firefighter.  "Firefighter" has the same meaning as in Title 39-A, section 328-B, 
subsection 1, paragraph C.
Sec. 5.  25 MRSA §4203 is enacted to read:
§4203.  Firefighters
1.  Critical incident stress management team services.  The commissioner shall 
ensure that critical incident stress management team services are available to every 
firefighter in the State, including by:
A.  Supporting the establishment of a critical incident stress management team for a 
fire department or through a collaboration of more than one fire department;
B.  Providing critical incident stress management team services for a fire department 
that does not have a critical incident stress management team;
C.  Establishing a program for critical incident stress management training for at least 
one firefighter in every fire department; and
D.  Providing educational, training and promotional programs and materials to fire 
departments to increase awareness of or provide support for critical incident stress 
management team services.
2.  Fire departments. A fire department shall employ or have as an active member at 
least one firefighter who has received critical incident stress management training and 
provide education and access to ongoing behavioral health care related to any post-
traumatic stress resulting from a critical incident experienced by a firefighter of the fire 
department.  A fire department shall within department resources maintain a critical 
incident stress management team, which may include collaboration with another fire 
department.
3.  Collaboration.  The commissioner shall collaborate with the Department of 
Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Emergency Management Agency, 
a nonprofit organization representing professional firefighters in the State and other 
governmental and nonprofit organizations that have an interest in firefighting or emergency 
or stress management in carrying out the purposes of this section.
4.  Rules.  The commissioner may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this section.  
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill directs the Commissioner of Public Safety to provide critical incident stress 
management team services to all firefighters in the State by assisting fire departments in 
establishing critical incident stress management teams individually or in groups, providing 
critical incident stress management team services to a fire department that does not have a 
team, providing critical incident stress management training for at least one firefighter in 
every fire department and providing education, training and promotional programs and 
materials regarding critical incident stress management teams and services to fire 
departments.  This bill also requires fire departments to have at least one employee or 
firefighter who has received critical incident stress management training and provide 
education and access to ongoing behavioral health care related to post-traumatic stress 
experienced by a firefighter.  A fire department is also required, within department 
resources, to maintain a critical incident stress management team, which may include 
collaboration with another fire department.