A. The governing body of any city or town may, in its discretion, authorize or require the emergency medical services agency thereof to render aid in cases of actual or potential medical emergencies occurring beyond its limits, may prescribe the conditions under which such aid may be rendered, and may enter into contracts with nearby, adjacent, or adjoining counties and cities, within or without the Commonwealth, including the District of Columbia, for rendering aid in the provision of emergency medical services in such counties, cities, or any district, or sanitary district thereof or in the District of Columbia, on such terms as may be agreed upon by such governing body and the governing body of the District of Columbia or of such counties and cities, or districts, including sanitary districts, provided that each of the parties to such agreement may contract as follows: (i) waive any and all claims against all the other parties thereto that may arise out of their activities outside their respective jurisdictions under such agreement; (ii) indemnify and save harmless the other parties to such agreement from all claims by third parties for property damage or personal injury that may arise out of the activities of the other parties to such agreement outside their respective jurisdictions under such agreement. When the emergency medical services agency of any city or town is operating under such permission or contracts on any call beyond the corporate limits of the city or town, it shall be deemed to be operating in a governmental capacity, and subject only to such liability for injuries as it would be if it were operating within the corporate limits of such city or town.

B. Any county, city, or town may contract with the federal or state government to provide emergency medical services to federal or state property located within or without the boundaries of the county, city, or town. In the absence of a written contract, any acts performed and all expenditures made by a county, city, or town in providing emergency medical services to property owned by the federal government shall be deemed conclusively to be for a public and governmental purpose, and all of the immunities from liability enjoyed by a county, city, or town when acting through its emergency medical services personnel for a public or governmental purpose within or without its territorial limits shall be enjoyed by it to the same extent when such county, city, or town is so acting, under the provisions of this section or under other lawful authority.Emergency medical services personnel of any county, city, or town when acting hereunder, or under other lawful authority, shall have all of the immunities from liability and exemptions from laws, ordinances, and regulations and shall have all of the pension, relief, disability, workers’ compensation, and other benefits enjoyed by them while performing their respective duties. The amount of compensation to the county, city, or town pursuant to the contract shall be a matter within the sole discretion of the governing body of the county, city, or town.

C. The governing body of any county adjoining or near any county, city, or town, within or without the Commonwealth, including the District of Columbia, having and maintaining emergency medical services equipment may contract with any such county, city, or town, upon such terms as such governing body may deem proper, for responding to medical emergencies in such county, city, or town and may prescribe the terms and conditions upon which such services may be provided on privately owned property in the county, city, or town and may raise funds with which to pay for such services, by levying and collecting annually, at such rates as such governing body may deem sufficient, a special tax upon the property in such county, or in any magisterial district thereof, subject to local taxation.

D. The governing body of any county, city, or town in the Commonwealth is authorized to procure or extend the necessary public liability insurance to cover claims arising out of mutual aid agreements executed with other counties, cities, or towns outside the Commonwealth, including the District of Columbia.

History

2015, cc. 502, 503.