34-50-1. Definitions. Terms used in this chapter mean:

(1) "Critical incident stress," the acute or cumulative psychological stress or trauma that an emergency service provider may experience by providing services during a critical incident, crisis, disaster, or emergency. Critical incident stress is a strong emotional, cognitive, or physical reaction that has the potential to interfere with normal functioning, such as:

(a) Physical, mental, or emotional illness;

(b) Failure of usual coping mechanisms;

(c) Loss of interest in the job or in usual social relationships;

(d) Personality changes; or

(e) Loss of ability to function;

(2) "Critical incident stress management," any consultation, incident briefing and debriefing, on-site crisis intervention, counseling, risk assessment, case management services, harm prevention, and referral, provided by any person designated by an appropriate state or local governmental unit or agency to an emergency service provider affected by critical incident stress;

(3) "Critical incident stress management team," any person designated by an appropriate state or local governmental unit or agency to provide professional critical incident stress management to an emergency service provider affected by critical incident stress, and certified by the International Critical Stress Foundation as a Critical Incident Stress Management provider;

(4) "Peer support team member," any person, who is a peer of the emergency service provider, designated by an appropriate state or local government unit to provide critical incident stress management services to the provider, and certified by the International Critical Stress Foundation as a Critical Incident Stress Management provider;

(5) "Emergency service provider" or "provider," any person who provides response services during a critical incident, by or on behalf of a state or local governmental unit.Source: SL 2015, ch 187, § 1.