SB38 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Steve LivingstonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Emergency responders, Alabama Fire College authorized to provide certification to peer support members, Sec. 36-21-14 am'd.

Summary

SB38 authorizes the Alabama Fire College to certify peer support members who provide emotional and moral support to emergency responders.

What This Bill Does

It creates a system to certify peer support members who assist emergency responders with emotional and moral support after job-related stress or incidents. It sets who can be certified, what training is required, and which agencies certify different roles, including designation by a supervising agency and limiting certification to one peer support member per event. It also protects communications between a responder and a certified peer support member as privileged during peer support events, with specified exceptions. The act takes effect on the first day of the third month after it passes and is approved by the Governor.

Who It Affects

• Emergency responders and chaplains (such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, and EMTs) who may become certified as peer support members and receive emotional/moral support.
• Public safety agencies (e.g., sheriffs, police chiefs, fire chiefs, and agency heads) that designate individuals to provide peer support at events.

Key Provisions

• Defines Certified Peer Support Member as an emergency responder or chaplain who has training in critical incident stress management and is certified to provide peer support by the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency or the Alabama Fire College.
• Outlines certification requirements: must be an emergency responder or chaplain, complete training from recognized agencies, and be designated in writing by the appropriate agency head to provide peer support; only one certified peer support person may be assigned per event.
• Specifies certifying bodies: law enforcement officers, dispatchers, or chaplains must be certified by the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, while firefighters, wildland firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and chaplains must be certified by the Alabama Fire College.
• Provides that communications between a responder and a certified peer support member during a peer support event are privileged, with certain exceptions where privilege does not apply.
• Sets the act’s effective date as the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Emergency Responders