PAX Centurion - March / April 2014

Page 16 • PAX CENTURION • March/April 2014 617-989-BPPA (2772) HEARD ON THE HILL By James Barry, BPPA Legislative Agent Critical Stress = Critical Incidents SB1861! M ay God rest and keep BFD Lt. EdwardWalsh and fellow fallen firefighter Michael R. Kennedy. Let us also remember those killed and injured in the bombings at the Boston Marathon last year, Krystle Marie Campbell, Lu Lingzi, MartinWilliam Richard, MIT Police Officer SeanA. Collier and the grieving families and struggling survivors. Deadly fires, murderous crimes, natural disasters and the accumulated effect of the emergency delivery of public safety services continue to rock the Boston Police and Fire Departments. The immeasurable impact from the loss of comrades leaves even the strongest reeling. The impact from these 911 critical incidents and exposure to the ‘everyday” tragic and devastating events can also crack the best. Boston Police, Boston Fire and EMS Stress Units have been involved in all these particularly traumatic events to offer members of each service, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) sessions and much more. One of the hardest parts of working in public safety services is that people’s lives depend on your actions. But the truth is we are not robots and the impact from such immediate and devastating losses of our BFD comrades would cry out for stress debriefing for everyone (Fire, Police & EMS) involved in that incident. Which has and is happening. A Senate Bill 1861 is a bill that would grant the same confidentiality to the critical incident team members and leaders that other professionals have now by Massachusetts Law. The bill is moving and has been making it’s way through the legislative process.Yet Boston alone has hit on too many critical incidents to wait on the process to continue. We are asking the House Leadership to move the bill immediately and send it back to the Senate. The Senate has already engrossed the bill and once the House acts, the Bill will go to the Governor. H H H H H H H H S enate Bill 2052 -VALORAct II awaits the Governor’s signature, the bill recently has passed both the House and Senate and contains provisions aimed at preventing charity fraud, requiring professional licenses fees waived for veterans and increases penalties for disturbing military funerals or services. The bill also includes tax exemptions, provides for a special license plate available for Gold Star families and a KIA license plate designation for those whose loved one was killed in action. The bill also designates a portion of Route 44 running through Plymouth, Carver and Middleborough as the Gold Star Highway in honor of veterans who died serving the nation. Public Safety Death Benefit Increased to $150,000 M assachusetts lawmakers, moved by the rash of deaths in the public safety community in recent weeks, are rushing  to increase the state’s death benefit for the families of public safety personnel killed in the line of duty. The House on recently voted unanimously to approve legislation that would raise from $100,000 to $150,000 a one-time tax free payment that the state provides to the families of police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and other public safety worker who die while serving their communities. The Senate plans to approve the bill in their next session, readying it for Governor Deval Patrick to sign into law soon after that.