{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-39b.045","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 39B.045","heading":"Mutual aid agreements between Kentucky or its agencies or political","body":"subdivisions and units of government from another state.\n(1) As used in this section, \"emergency\" means an occurrence or condition in a\njurisdiction within or outside of the Commonwealth that results in a situation:\n(a) That poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment;\n(b) That is not initially at the level of a disaster or emergency that requires a local\nor state declaration of disaster or emergency, even i f such a local or state\ndeclaration is made after the initial request for mutual aid; and\n(c) For which the governing jurisdiction determines:\n1. The situation exceeds its ability to render appropriate aid; and\n2. That it is in the public's best interest t o request mutual aid from a\ngovernmental jurisdiction or private entity in another state with which\nthe governing jurisdiction has entered into a mutual aid agreement under\nthis section.\n(2) (a) As used in this section, \"emergency responder\" means a person:\n1. Who is required to possess a license, certificate, permit, or other official\nrecognition for the person's expertise in a particular field or area of\nknowledge; and\n2. Whose assistance is desirable during an emergency.\n(b) The term includes but is not limited to the following:\n1.  Firefighters, hazardous materials personnel, specialized rescue\npersonnel, extrication personnel, water rescue personnel, and other\nspecialized personnel;\n2. Emergency medical services personnel;\n3. Physicians;\n4. Nurses;\n5. Mental health practitioners, veterinary practitioners, and other public\nhealth practitioners;\n6. Emergency management personnel; and\n7. Public works personnel.\n(3) As used in this section, \"political subdivision\" has the same meaning as in KRS\n39D.040.\n(4) (a) In order to more adequately address emergencies that extend or exceed a\njurisdiction's emergency response capabilities, either without rising to the\nlevel of a state or local declaration of a state of disaster or emergency, or in\nthe initial stages of an event that may later become a declared state of disaster\nor emergency, the state and any of its departments or agencies, or any political\nsubdivision, may enter into written mutual aid agreements with units of\ngovernment from another state that provide  coordination of communications\nfor, training for, response to, and standby for planned events and emergency\nresponses within the Commonwealth of Kentucky or in another state.\n(b) When an emergency responder from outside Kentucky is engaged in training,\nstandby, and emergency response in accordance with a mutual aid agreement\nunder this section, the emergency responder from outside Kentucky is\npermitted to provide services within Kentucky in accordance with this section\nand the terms of the mutual aid agreement under this section.\n(c) This section shall not be construed to prohibit a private entity or its employees\nfrom participating in the provision of mutual aid if:\n1. The participating political subdivision approves the participation of the\nprivate entity; and\n2. A contract between the political subdivision and the participating private\nentity permits the participation.\n(5) If an emergency responder from a jurisdiction outside Kentucky holds a license,\ncertification, or other permit recognized or issued by  another state, that emergency\nresponder is considered to be licensed, certified, and permitted in Kentucky to\nrender aid involving such skill to meet the request for assistance under a mutual aid\nagreement signed pursuant to this section, so long as the e mergency responder acts\nwithin the scope of:\n(a) The emergency responder's license, certificate, or permit; and\n(b) What would be authorized by an equivalent license, certificate, or permit from\nor recognized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.\n(6) All immuni ties from liability available to Kentucky political subdivisions, other\nunits of local government in Kentucky, and their officers, agents, and employees\nwithin Kentucky are extended to political subdivisions and other units of local\ngovernment from another  state, and their officers, agents, and employees, who\nunder a mutual aid agreement authorized by this section are:\n(a) Providing mutual aid; or\n(b) Engaged in training and exercises.\n(7) (a) Emergency responders rendering mutual aid under a mutual aid agr eement\nauthorized by this section remain employees and agents of their respective\nemployers and jurisdictions.\n(b) A mutual aid agreement entered into under this section does not create an\nemployment relationship between the jurisdiction requesting aid and  the\nemployees and agents of the jurisdiction rendering aid.\n(c) All pension, relief, disability, death, worker's compensation, and all other\nbenefits enjoyed by emergency responders rendering mutual aid under a\nmutual aid agreement authorized by this sect ion extend to the services the\nemergency responders perform outside their respective jurisdictions, as if\nthose services had been rendered in their own jurisdiction.\n(8) A mutual aid agreement under this section shall be approved by each political\nsubdivision entering into the mutual aid agreement. A copy of the mutual aid\nagreement, including any amendments, shall be delivered to the fiscal court or\nlegislative body having countywide jurisdiction and the county emergency\nmanagement agency of that jurisdiction.\n(9) This section shall not be construed to limit, modify, or abridge:\n(a) Kentucky's emergency management agency statutes; or\n(b) The emergency management assistance compact under KRS 39A.950.","path":["KRS Chapter 39B"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40578","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:48:58Z","sha256":"51b379993158fa9e3c9541dcff506e12326c0a8eaf5ca692678151316171da2b","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-39b.040","next":"us-ky/krs-39b.050"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}