S.F. 503 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 321.231A Fire fighters and 1 emergency medical services members responding to emergency 2 situations. 3 1. The driver of a vehicle displaying fire fighter or 4 emergency medical services registration plates issued pursuant 5 to section 321.34, subsection 10 or 10A, who is a current 6 member of a paid or volunteer fire department or emergency 7 medical services agency, may reasonably exceed the maximum 8 speed limits based on the facts and circumstances at the time 9 when responding to, but not upon returning from, an emergency 10 call or fire alarm, only if the driver has received emergency 11 vehicle operations training and is making use of a blue light 12 pursuant to section 321.423, subsection 3. 13 2. The provisions of this section shall not relieve the 14 driver from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of 15 all other persons, nor shall such provisions protect the driver 16 from the consequences of the driver’s reckless disregard for 17 the safety of others. 18 3. A court shall dismiss and expunge from a driver’s 19 record any excessive speed violation citations issued to a 20 driver under circumstances in which the driver complied with 21 subsection 1, if the driver presents to the court a signed 22 statement from the applicable fire chief or chief officer of 23 an emergency medical services agency providing details about 24 the driver’s operation of the vehicle while responding to an 25 emergency call or fire alarm, which operation resulted in the 26 citation. 27 Sec. 2. Section 321.423, subsection 3, paragraph a, Code 28 2021, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 29 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (03) A vehicle authorized by the chief 30 officer of an emergency medical services agency, if the vehicle 31 is owned by a member of the emergency medical services agency, 32 the request for authorization is made by the member on forms 33 provided by the department, and necessity for authorization 34 to respond to an emergency call or fire alarm under section 35 -1- LSB 2603XS (3) 89 th/ns 1/ 3

S.F. 503 321.231A is demonstrated in the request. 1 Sec. 3. Section 321.423, subsection 3, paragraph b, Code 2 2021, is amended to read as follows: 3 b. A person shall not use only a blue light on a vehicle 4 unless the vehicle meets the requirements of paragraph “a” , 5 subparagraph (1) , or (2) , or (03) . 6 EXPLANATION 7 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 8 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 9 Under current law, the driver of a fire department vehicle, 10 police vehicle, rescue vehicle, or ambulance, or a peace 11 officer riding a police bicycle in the line of duty, is 12 authorized to exceed the maximum speed limits so long as the 13 driver does not endanger life or property, including the 14 driver’s. 15 This bill allows the driver of a vehicle displaying fire 16 fighter or emergency medical services registration plates to 17 reasonably exceed the maximum speed limits based on the facts 18 and circumstances at the time when responding to, but not upon 19 returning from, an emergency call or fire alarm. The driver 20 must have received emergency vehicle operations training and 21 make use of a blue light. 22 The bill does not relieve the driver from the duty to drive 23 with due regard for the safety of all other persons, and the 24 bill does not protect the driver from the consequences of the 25 driver’s reckless disregard for the safety of others. 26 A person who is a current member of a paid or volunteer 27 emergency medical services agency, or a current or retired 28 member of a paid or volunteer fire department, may apply for 29 fire fighter or emergency medical services registration plates. 30 The bill does not apply to a retired member of a paid or 31 volunteer fire department who drives a vehicle displaying fire 32 fighter plates. 33 The bill requires a court to dismiss and expunge from a 34 driver’s record any speeding citation issued to a driver under 35 -2- LSB 2603XS (3) 89 th/ns 2/ 3

S.F. 503 circumstances in which the driver complied with the bill 1 and who presents to the court a signed statement from the 2 applicable fire chief or chief officer of an emergency medical 3 services agency providing details about the driver’s operation 4 of the vehicle while responding to an emergency call or fire 5 alarm, which operation resulted in the citation. 6 Under current law, vehicles owned or exclusively operated by 7 a fire department and vehicles authorized by the chief of the 8 fire department, if owned by a member of the fire department, 9 may use only a flashing blue light if a request is made by the 10 member to, and approved by, the department of transportation 11 (DOT). The bill extends the authorized use of a flashing 12 blue light to vehicles authorized by the chief officer of 13 an emergency medical services agency, when a member of such 14 organization makes a similar request to the DOT to display a 15 blue light for purposes of the bill. 16 Drivers who exceed the lawful speed limit are subject to a 17 scheduled fine based on the level of excess speed as provided 18 in Code section 805.8A(5), ranging from $30 for a violation of 19 less than five miles per hour over the limit to $135 plus $5 20 for each mile per hour in excess of 20 miles per hour over the 21 limit. 22 -3- LSB 2603XS (3) 89 th/ns 3/ 3