PRINTER'S NO. 193
No. 202 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY BAKER, BELARDI, THOMAS, HERSHEY, NAILOR, YOUNGBLOOD, COY, SAYLOR, CHADWICK, ARMSTRONG, BARRAR, GORDNER, TIGUE, BATTISTO, WILT, E. Z. TAYLOR, CURRY, HARHAI, FARGO, TRELLO, RAMOS, MELIO, SEYFERT, C. WILLIAMS, SOLOBAY, J. TAYLOR, STEELMAN, MICHLOVIC AND PETRARCA, JANUARY 28, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 28, 1999
AN ACT 1 Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania 2 Consolidated Statutes, providing for the Interstate 3 Firefighting and Emergency Services Compact. 4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 5 hereby enacts as follows: 6 Section 1. Chapter 71 of Title 35 of the Pennsylvania 7 Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a subchapter to read: 8 SUBCHAPTER C 9 INTERSTATE FIREFIGHTING AND EMERGENCY 10 SERVICES COMPACT 11 Sec. 12 7121. Interstate Firefighting and Emergency Services Compact 13 enacted. 14 § 7121. Interstate Firefighting and Emergency Services Compact 15 enacted. 16 The Interstate Firefighting and Emergency Services Compact is
1 hereby enacted into law and entered into with all jurisdictions 2 legally joining in the compact in the form substantially as 3 follows: 4 Article 1 5 The purpose of this compact is to provide for effective 6 firefighting and the efficient delivery of emergency services 7 among the States. The prompt, full and productive utilization of 8 the firefighting and emergency services resources of the 9 respective States is essential to the health, safety and welfare 10 of their residents. 11 Article 2 12 It shall be the duty of each party State to formulate 13 firefighting and emergency services delivery plans and programs 14 for application in adjacent States. There shall be frequent 15 consultation between the representatives of the States and the 16 free exchange of information and plans, including rosters of 17 firefighters and emergency services personnel and materials and 18 equipment available for firefighting and the provision of 19 emergency services. In carrying out the plans and programs, the 20 party States shall, so far as possible, provide and follow 21 uniform standards, practices and rules. 22 Article 3 23 Any party State requested to render mutual aid shall take 24 such action as is necessary to provide and make available the 25 resources covered by this compact in accordance with its terms. 26 It is understood, however, that the State rendering aid may 27 withhold resources to the extent necessary to provide reasonable 28 protection for that State. Each party State shall extend to the 29 firefighters and emergency services personnel of any other party 30 State while operating within its State limits under the terms 19990H0202B0193 - 2 -
1 and conditions of this compact, the same powers (except that of 2 arrest, unless specifically authorized by the receiving State), 3 duties, rights, privileges and immunities as if they were 4 performing their duties in the State in which normally employed 5 or rendering services. 6 Article 4 7 Whenever any person holds a license, certificate or other 8 permit issued by any State evidencing the meeting of 9 qualifications for professional, mechanical or other skills, the 10 person may render aid involving the skill in any party State to 11 meet a fire, emergency or disaster, and the State in which the 12 aid is rendered shall give due recognition to the license, 13 certificate or other permit as if it were issued in the State in 14 which the aid is rendered. 15 Article 5 16 No party State or its officers or employees rendering aid in 17 another State under this compact shall be liable on account of 18 any act or omission in good faith while engaged in rendering aid 19 or on account of the maintenance or use of any equipment or 20 supplies in connection with rendering aid. 21 Article 6 22 Inasmuch as it is probable that the pattern and detail of the 23 machinery for mutual aid among two or more States may differ 24 from that appropriate among other States party to this compact, 25 this instrument contains elements of a broad base common to all 26 States, and nothing in this compact shall preclude any State 27 from entering into supplementary agreements with another State 28 or States. The supplementary agreements may comprehend but shall 29 not be limited to provisions for evacuation and reception of 30 injured and other persons and the exchange of medical, police, 19990H0202B0193 - 3 -
1 public utility, reconnaissance, welfare, transportation and 2 communications personnel, equipment and supplies. 3 Article 7 4 Each party State shall provide for the payment of 5 compensation to injured members of fire departments and 6 emergency services squads of that State and for the payment of 7 benefits to representatives of deceased members of fire 8 departments and emergency services squads in case the members 9 are killed while rendering aid under this compact in the same 10 manner and on the same terms as if the injury or death were 11 sustained within the State. 12 Article 8 13 (a) Any party State rendering aid in another State under 14 this compact shall be reimbursed by the party State receiving 15 the aid for any loss or damage to, or expense incurred in, the 16 operation of any equipment answering a request for aid and for 17 the cost incurred in connection with a request for aid. Any 18 aiding party State may, however, assume in whole or in part any 19 loss, damage, expense or other cost incurred or may loan 20 equipment or donate services to the receiving party State 21 without charge or cost. 22 (b) Subsection (a) shall not preclude two or more party 23 States from entering into supplementary agreements establishing 24 a specific formula for allocation of costs as among those 25 States. 26 Article 9 27 This compact shall be available to any State, territory or 28 possession of the United States and the District of Columbia. 29 Article 10 30 The term "emergency services" shall mean a fire department, 19990H0202B0193 - 4 -
1 an ambulance service, a rescue squad, a hazardous materials 2 response team or other entity formed for the purpose of 3 providing assistance at the scene of any accident, disaster, 4 hazardous materials spill or other threat to life or safety. 5 Article 11 6 This compact shall become operative immediately upon its 7 ratification by any State as between it and any other State or 8 States ratifying it. Duly authenticated copies of this compact 9 and any supplementary agreements shall, at the time of approval, 10 be deposited with each of the party States. 11 Article 12 12 This compact shall not be construed to affect the Middle 13 Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact or the 14 Interstate Civil Defense and Disaster Compact. 15 Article 13 16 This compact shall continue in force and remain binding on 17 each party State until the Legislature or the Governor of a 18 party State takes action to withdraw from it. An action to 19 withdraw shall not be effective until 30 days after notice of 20 intent to withdraw has been sent by the Governor of the party 21 State desiring to withdraw to the Governors of all other party 22 States. 23 Article 14 24 This compact shall be construed to effectuate the purposes 25 stated in Article 1. If any provision of this compact is 26 declared unconstitutional or if the applicability of the compact 27 to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the 28 constitutionality of the remainder of this compact and the 29 applicability of this compact to other persons and circumstances 30 shall not be affected. 19990H0202B0193 - 5 -
1 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. L1L35SFL/19990H0202B0193 - 6 -