An Act Concerning Displaced Civilian Federal Firefighters in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1105
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: MATHIESON, LAWRENCE
Amends: 26 MRSA §1407, 30-A MRSA §3153-A

Legislative Document
No. 1105
H.P. 724
House of Representatives, March 18, 2025
An Act Concerning Displaced Civilian Federal Firefighters in Maine
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MATHIESON of Kittery.
Cosponsored by Senator LAWRENCE of York and
Representative: MEYER of Eliot.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA §1407 is enacted to read:
§1407.  Displaced civilian federal firefighters database
The department shall establish and maintain a database of the names of civilian federal 
firefighters who have been displaced by a layoff or reduction in force at or closure of a 
federal installation in this State, including, but not limited to, a naval shipyard, military 
base or a facility of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, pursuant to this 
section.
1. Application.  A civilian federal firefighter may apply for inclusion in the database 
by providing a copy of the notice that the firefighter's position has been terminated due to 
a reduction in force at or closure of a federal installation in this State.
2. Distribution.  The department shall distribute or make available from the database 
a list of displaced civilian federal firefighters to municipalities that maintain a municipal 
fire department pursuant to Title 30-A, chapter 153.
3. Term.  The name of a displaced civilian federal firefighter in the database must be 
maintained for no less than 4 years unless the department is notified that the firefighter has 
requested to be removed from the database.
4. Consultation. The department may consult with organizations that represent the 
interests of civilian federal firefighters when establishing the database.
Sec. 2.  30-A MRSA §3153-A is enacted to read:
§3153-A.  Employment of displaced civilian federal firefighters
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a fire chief, when employing 
municipal firefighters to fill an open municipal firefighter position, shall give priority 
consideration to civilian federal firefighters who have been displaced due to a reduction in 
force at or closure of a federal installation in this State, including, but not limited to, a naval 
shipyard or a military base, pursuant to this section.  The fire chief shall consult the database 
of displaced civilian federal firefighters established pursuant to Title 26, section 1407 
before filling any open municipal firefighter position in the municipality.
1. Term of displacement.  A displaced civilian federal firefighter must be given 
priority consideration for employment for a period of 48 months after receiving notice of 
termination due to a reduction in force at or closure of a federal installation in this State.
2. Good standing.  Notwithstanding subsection 1, the fire chief is not required to give 
priority to a displaced civilian federal firefighter who has not satisfactorily completed 
firefighter training or met local requirements for a position or was not in good standing at 
the time of the reduction in force at or closure of the federal installation in this State.
3. Regional consideration.  The fire chief shall seek to employ displaced civilian 
federal firefighters who are residents of the municipality or the county before considering 
displaced civilian federal firefighters residing in other regions of the State.
4. Existing applications.  A displaced civilian federal firefighter must be given priority 
consideration for an open position over existing applicants if the name of the displaced 
firefighter was added to the database of displaced civilian federal firefighters established 
pursuant to Title 26, section 1407 before the position is filled.
SUMMARY
This bill requires municipalities, when filling an open position for a firefighter, to give 
priority to civilian federal firefighters who have been displaced due to a reduction in force 
at or closure of a federal military installation.  The bill requires the Department of Labor to 
establish and maintain a database of displaced civilian federal firefighters in Maine.