(1) The division may enter into agreements with other states with regard to mutual aid for routine provision of emergency management services or for mutual aid during times of emergency or disaster, or any combination of these.
(2) Kentucky emergency management personnel, either working for the state or local government or affiliated with the state or a local government, paid or volunteer, shall, to the extent provided by the law of the host state, have the same rights and privileges as they have in Kentucky.
(3) Emergency management personnel, either working for the state or a local government or affiliated with the state or a local government of another state, paid or volunteer, shall, to the extent provided by Kentucky law, have the same rights and privileges as do Kentucky emergency management personnel working for the state or local government or affiliated with the state or a local government, whether paid or volunteer. This provision shall not apply to the provision of peace officer services, unless approved in writing by the Governor, or the General Assembly, as appropriate for the specific incident.
(4) Kentucky emergency management-provided workers’ compensation shall apply to a state or local emergency management agency worker, paid or volunteer, or worker in an operating unit officially affiliated with the division, or worker in a local emergency management agency-supervised operating unit officially affiliated with a local disaster and emergency services organization pursuant to KRS § 39B.070, who is serving in another state pursuant to an agreement consummated under this section.
(5) An emergency management worker from another state, paid or volunteer, who is working for or affiliated with the state emergency management agency and who is serving in Kentucky pursuant to an agreement consummated under this section may be accorded Kentucky emergency management workers’ compensation coverage by action of the director.
(6) The provisions of subsections (4) and (5) of this section shall not apply to hazardous materials emergency response operations defined in 29 C.F.R. § 1910.120 which are above the first-responder operations level, on-scene incident commander level excluded.
(7) An emergency management worker from another state, paid or volunteer, who is working for the state emergency management agency or a local emergency management agency or a worker in an organization affiliated with the state or local emergency management agency of another state who holds license or certification from the worker’s state to practice a profession, or paraprofessional activity, or other activity for which a license or certification is required to practice that activity in Kentucky shall be, for the period of that work, under an agreement consummated pursuant to this chapter, considered as properly licensed or certified in Kentucky to perform the services granted by the worker’s license or certification. The worker shall, however, while in Kentucky, be subject to discipline by the appropriate Kentucky licensing or certifying agency for acts of misconduct or negligence which are committed in Kentucky.
(8) City, county, urban-county, or charter county emergency management agencies in Kentucky may make written agreements with similar local emergency management agencies in adjoining states if the agreements are submitted to the state emergency management agencies of both states and are approved in writing by the directors of both agencies. Agreements pursuant to this section shall be subject to the same rights and privileges as state agreements under this section, but shall be limited to two (2) years, unless renewed by submission of a new agreement for approval.
(9) The provisions of this section shall be subject to the provisions of all applicable federal law.
Effective: July 15, 1998
History: Created 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 226, sec. 25, effective July 15, 1998.