N.Y. Executive Law § 156-g: Establishment of teams for urban search and rescue, specialty rescue and incident support

§ 156-g. Establishment of teams for urban search and rescue, specialty

rescue and incident support. 1. Authorization to establish urban search

and rescue task force teams, specialty rescue teams, and incident

support teams. The commissioner of the division of homeland security and

emergency services after consultation with the state fire administrator

shall have the authority to establish, organize, administer, support,

train, and fund urban search and rescue task force teams, specialty

rescue teams, and incident support teams created pursuant to this

section.

2. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms

shall have the following meanings:

(a) "urban search and rescue task force team" shall mean a specialized

team or group of teams, formed pursuant to this section, organized with

capabilities equivalent to urban search and rescue task force teams

established under the federal emergency management agency in order to

assist in the removal of trapped victims in emergency situations

including, but not limited to, collapsed structures, trench excavations,

elevated locations, and other technical rescue situations.

(b) "specialty rescue team" shall mean a specialized team, formed

pursuant to this section, organized to provide technical rescue

assistance to first responders including, but not limited to, canine

search and rescue/disaster response, cave search and rescue, collapse

search and rescue, mine and tunnel search and rescue, and swift

water/flood search and rescue teams. Such teams shall be aligned with

one or more of the search and rescue categories within the federal

emergency management agency's national resource typing system.

(c) "incident support team" shall mean a team of trained response

personnel, formed pursuant to this section, organized to provide

coordination with governmental agencies and non-governmental

organizations as well as technical, and logistical support to urban

search and rescue task force teams and specialty rescue teams.

3. Appointment and training of team members; equipment. (a) The

commissioner of the division of homeland security and emergency services

is hereby authorized to appoint members to any team created pursuant to

this section. Team membership shall consist of local emergency response

personnel, state agency personnel and specialty personnel as required.

(b) The commissioner of the division of homeland security and

emergency services shall be responsible for training and equipping the

teams established pursuant to this section and for training such other

teams located within the state for response to man-made or natural

disasters to the extent appropriations are provided. The commissioner of

the division of homeland security and emergency services shall support

the capabilities of each team established pursuant to this section with

the necessary training and equipment to ensure mobilization and

deployment for rapid response to emergencies and disasters to the extent

appropriations are provided.

4. Accreditation of teams. The commissioner of the division of

homeland security and emergency services shall have the authority to

establish an accreditation program to review and evaluate new and

existing local and regional technical rescue capabilities, and provide

recommendations for capability enhancement in accordance with the

national incident management system, the national response plan, and

nationally recognized standards.

5. Defense, indemnification and insurance coverage of team members.

Members of the teams formed pursuant to this section who are volunteer

firefighters, volunteer ambulance workers, municipal or state employees,

or employees of a non-governmental entity shall be provided coverage by

their respective municipalities, organizations, and entities for

purposes of sections seventeen and eighteen of the public officers law

and/or other defense and indemnification coverage and workers'

compensation coverage pursuant to applicable provisions of the workers'

compensation law or benefits pursuant to applicable provisions of the

volunteer firefighters' benefit law or the volunteer ambulance workers'

benefit law. Individuals appointed to an urban search and rescue task

force team, a specialty rescue team or an incident support team, for

which such coverage is not available, shall be deemed volunteer state

employees for purposes of section seventeen of the public officers law

and section three of the workers' compensation law.

6. Rules and regulations. The commissioner of the division of homeland

security and emergency services after consultation with the state fire

administrator shall have the authority to promulgate rules and

regulations as deemed necessary relating to the accreditation of urban

search and rescue task force teams, specialty rescue teams, and incident

support teams and to the formation and operation of all teams

established pursuant to this section.

7. Funding. The division of homeland security and emergency services

shall expend the necessary monies for training, equipment, and other

items necessary to support the operations of urban search and rescue

task force teams, specialty rescue teams and incident support teams

within appropriations provided. The division of homeland security and

emergency services also may, pursuant to applicable rules and

regulations approved by the director of the division of the budget,

approve grants of funds from monies allocated and appropriated for any

or all such teams.