Va. Code Ann. § 27-6.02
Provision of firefighting services
Redline — June 1, 2021 → current.View current text →
Current — March 1, 2022
As of June 1, 2021
(1) Any county, city, or town may provide firefighting services to its citizens by (i) establishing a fire department as a department of government pursuant to § 27-6.1 or (ii) contracting with or providing for the provision of firefighting services by a fire company established pursuant to § 27-8.
(1) Any county, city, or town may provide firefighting services to its citizens by (i) establishing a fire department as a department of government pursuant to § 27-6.1 or (ii) contracting with or providing for the provision of firefighting services by a fire company established pursuant to § 27-8.
(2) In cases in which a county, city, or town elects to contract with or provide for the provision of firefighting services by a fire company pursuant to clause (ii) of subsection A, the fire company shall be deemed to be an instrumentality of the county, city, or town and, as such, exempt from suit for damages done incident to fighting fires therein. The county, city, or town may elect to provide for the matters authorized in §§ 27-4 and 27-39. As used in this section, “provide firefighting services” includes travel while performing fire, rescue, or other emergency operations in emergency vehicles or fire apparatus as described in §§ 46.2-920 and 46.2-1023, respectively. (2015, cc. 502, 503.)
(2) In cases in which a county, city, or town elects to contract with or provide for the provision of firefighting services by a fire company pursuant to clause (ii) of subsection A, the fire company shall be deemed to be an instrumentality of the county, city, or town and, as such, exempt from suit for damages done incident to fighting fires therein. The county, city, or town may elect to provide for the matters authorized in §§ 27-4 and 27-39.As used in this section, “provide firefighting services” includes travel while performing fire, rescue, or other emergency operations in emergency vehicles or fire apparatus as described in §§ 46.2-920 and 46.2-1023, respectively.
CIRCUIT COURT OPINIONS
Sovereign immunity. - Paramedic was not entitled to sovereign immunity because, in returning to an area where she would be in a position to prepare to provide emergency medical services, she was not providing or performing emergency medical services and she was not exercising some degree of discretion beyond that required for ordinary driving situations at the moment of an accident with a hospital employee. Bosserman v. Hayes, 89 Va. Cir. 84, 2014 Va. Cir. LEXIS 144 (Augusta County May 29, 2014).
Official source: Virginia Law Portal (LIS). Reproduced from public-domain Virginia statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.