NEW: Mass Lawmakers Pass Bills Bolstering Emergency Services

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

By GoLocalWorcester News Team

Massachusetts school officials must create and put into action an emergency medical response system in their schools, under a bill Senate lawmakers passed recently.

State representatives supported that bill and also approved one that provides primary job protection for call and volunteer firefighters.

“Implementing an emergency response system in schools will minimize the number of tragedies we see among students, athletes and faculty,” House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop said of the school plan.

Of the move to provide job security to call and volunteer firefighters, DeLeo said: “At a time when jobs are scarce, we must do all we can to protect jobs. Volunteer firefighters risk their lives each day solely for the safety of their community; they deserve nothing less than this type of job security.”

House Bill 537, “An Act to Protect Volunteer Firefighters from Dismissal,” adds a level of job protection for call and volunteer firefighters to the current statute that protects them from being dismissed from their primary job if they arrive late for work because they were fighting a fire. Additionally, it broadens the responsibilities of call and volunteer firefighters that may be excused by primary employers to include natural disasters, emergency medical response and hazardous material incidents.

Senate Bill 2132 would require each school to have a written medical emergency response plan to “reduce the incidence of life-threatening emergencies and promote efficient responses to such emergencies.” The measure, called “Michael’s Law,” is in memory of 16-year-old Michael Ellsessar of Sutton, who died suddenly of cardiac arrest during a high school football game.