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An Act To Allow the Use of Flashing Red Lights by State Emergency Management Agency Directors
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 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 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.
 
(4) The Director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency under Title 37-B, section 704 and each agency director under Title 37-B, section 782 may display and use on a vehicle a flashing red auxiliary light when a state emergency is declared pursuant to Title 37-B, section 742.
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows the use of flashing red vehicle lights by emergency management agency directors when a state emergency is declared.