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An Act To Create a Statewide Training and Protocol for Responding to Mental Health Crises
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2803-A, sub-§8-D  is enacted to read:
 
8-D.  Training of law enforcement officers dealing with people with mental illness.     The board shall establish statewide protocols and a training program concerning the training of law enforcement officers to ensure that they are trained in serving people with mental illness. The training criteria must include 4 hours of training concerning a behavioral health crisis to be provided by an accredited mental health provider in the initial training of the law enforcement officer and a specific number of hours for periodic review, as decided by the board. The board shall establish and maintain a statewide quality assurance and improvement committee and review the training requirements on an annual basis. The board shall adopt rules, which are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, regarding the requirements and authority of the statewide quality assurance and improvement committee;
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §2102, sub-§1-A  is enacted to read:
 
1-A.  Training of firefighters dealing with people with mental illness.     The State Fire Marshal, pursuant to duties authorized under Title 25, section 2396, subsection 7, shall establish statewide protocols and a training program concerning the training of firefighters in each department to ensure that they are trained in serving people with mental illness. The training criteria must include 4 hours of training concerning a behavioral health crisis to be provided by an accredited mental health provider in the initial training of the firefighters and a specific number of hours for periodic review, as decided by the State Fire Marshal, who shall review the training requirements on an annual basis. The State Fire Marshal shall adopt rules, which are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, regarding the requirements established by that office.
Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §88, sub-§2, ¶K  is enacted to read:
 
K.  The board shall establish, through the statewide quality assurance and improvement committee, statewide protocols and a training program concerning the licensing of first responders to ensure that first responders are trained in serving people with mental illness. The training criteria must include 4 hours of training concerning a behavioral health crisis to be provided by an accredited mental health provider in the initial licensing requirements and a specific number of hours for recertification, as decided by the committee. The committee shall review the licensing requirements on an annual basis. The board shall adopt rules, which are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, regarding the requirements and authority of the statewide quality assurance and improvement committee.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Maine Criminal Justice Academy Board of Trustees, the State Fire Marshal and the Emergency Medical Services' Board to establish statewide protocols and a training program for firefighters, police officers and first responders to ensure that they are trained in serving people with mental illness. Training must include 4 hours of initial training and periodic review, and programs and protocols must be reviewed annually.