§ 71-7115. Terms, defined.

For purposes of sections 71-7114 to 71-7117: (1) Communication means any verbal, written, or electronic communication; (2) Critical incident means an actual or perceived event or situation that involves a crisis, disaster, trauma, or emergency; (3) Emergency care provider has the same meaning as in section 38-1206.04; (4) Fire fighter means: (a) An officer, employee, or member of a fire department or fire-protection or firefighting agency of the state, a municipality, a rural or suburban fire protection district, or any other political subdivision, regardless of whether such person is a volunteer or paid; (b) An officer, employee, or member of a fire service providing fire protection to federal or state military installations; or (c) The State Fire Marshal or a deputy state fire marshal; (5) Hospital personnel means employees or contractors of a hospital who provide direct patient care or emergency services, and includes physicians, nurses, emergency department staff, and trauma center personnel; (6) Law enforcement agency means: (a) A law enforcement agency as defined in section 81-1401; or (b) A tribal police department; (7) Law enforcement officer means: (a) A law enforcement officer as defined in section 81-1401; or (b) A member of a tribal police department or federal law enforcement officer duly authorized to assert law enforcement powers by a tribe in the State of Nebraska; (8) Law enforcement support personnel means an employee of a governmental entity who, by virtue of the person's job duties, provides support to law enforcement officers, and includes dispatchers, public safety telecommunicators, crime scene and crime laboratory technicians, criminal analysts, professional staff, and intelligence analysts; (9)(a) Peer support services means any services provided by a peer support team member that offer emotional or moral support to any public safety personnel regarding a critical incident; professional, personal, or social problem; or difficult life event. (b) Peer support services includes services described in subdivision (9)(a) of this section regardless of: (i) How the peer support team member is contacted; (ii) Whether the services are conducted in a group or private setting; (iii) Where the services are requested or conducted; or (iv) Whether the services are conducted in person or using electronic communication; (10) Peer support team means a group of peer support team members serving one or more public safety agencies; (11)(a) Peer support team member means an individual who: (i) Has successfully completed at least twenty-four hours of peer support training; and (ii) Is officially designated by a public safety agency's head or such head's designee to be a member of such agency's peer support team. (b) A peer support team member need not be an employee of a public safety agency or affiliated with a public safety agency and may include a person acting in a volunteer or professional capacity; (12) Peer support trainer means a subject matter expert in teaching peer support for public safety personnel as evidenced by experience or cultural competence or by holding appropriate certification or mental health credentials; (13) Peer support training means training which focuses on the needs of public safety personnel and that is taught by a peer support trainer who has been approved by the trainee's public safety agency; (14) Personal representative has the same meaning as in section 30-3502; (15) Proceeding means any civil, criminal, administrative, arbitration, or disciplinary proceeding; (16) Public safety agency means: (a) A law enforcement agency; (b) A fire protection or emergency medical services agency; (c) A hospital; or (d) Any other agency or entity, including a nonprofit organization, that employs, represents, or serves public safety personnel; and (17) Public safety personnel means a law enforcement officer, a correctional officer, a jail officer, a juvenile detention officer, a firefighter, an emergency care provider, law enforcement support personnel, hospital personnel, or ambulance service provider personnel. History: Laws 2026, LB816, § 2.