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2002 SESSION

020129820
HOUSE BILL NO. 948
Offered January 9, 2002
Prefiled January 9, 2002
A BILL to amend and reenact § 27-23.6 of the Code of Virginia, relating to immunity for fire and emergency medical services.
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Patrons-- Landes, Rust and Saxman; Senator: Hanger
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Referred to Committee on General Laws
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 27-23.6 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 27-23.6. Provision of fire-fighting and emergency medical services.

A. Any county, city or town may contract with or provide for any volunteer fire-fighting or emergency medical services companies or associations in the county, city or town for the fighting of fire or provision of emergency medical services in any county, city or town. If such provisions are made by the county, city or town, the fire-fighting or emergency medical services company or association shall be deemed to be an instrumentality of the county, city or town, and as such it and its employees and volunteers shall be exempt from suit for damages done incident to resulting from fighting fires or providing emergency medical services therein. The county, city or town may elect to provide for the matters authorized in §§ 27-4 and 27-39.

B. Any county, city or town may provide fire-fighting and emergency medical services to its citizens by using both government-employed and volunteer company or association firefighters and emergency medical services personnel. If such a system is utilized, the volunteer fire-fighting and emergency medical services companies and associations shall be deemed an instrumentality of the county, city or town, and as such they and their employees and volunteers shall be exempt from suit for damages done incident to resulting from providing fire-fighting and emergency medical services to the county, city or town. The county, city or town may also elect to provide for matters authorized in §§ 27-4 and 27-39.

"Fighting fires or providing emergency medical services" includes, but shall not be limited to, travel to and from emergencies as well as any other travel arising out of and in the course of providing fire-fighting or medical services.