New bill wants to record every EMS transport in Maine

  • Source: WGME-TV 13 Portland
  • Published: 02/01/2019 12:00 AM

Several police departments in Maine require recording devices on their officers and in their patrol cars. But what about videotaping the inside of an ambulance during a call? Topsham Fire Chief Chris McLaughlin says the camera in their ambulance has no recording device. He thinks that would violate a patient's privacy. "Well, I mean, if we have to worry about getting consent for a video recording, that's one more thing that we have to do and we're trying to do a lot at once already by ourselves," McLaughlin said. State Senator Dave Miramant submitted a bill after the death of a patient. Under his bill, every EMS transport in Maine would be videotaped and stored should patients or their families want the tapes reviewed. There are about 500 ambulances in Maine. The Maine Ambulance Association estimates it would cost $1,000 to outfit each one with recording devices, and thousands more to store and secure those recordings.



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