Texas Bill Would Grant Liability Protection for Emergency Volunteers

A Texas state representative has filed a bill that would allow fire departments to accept volunteer assistance during an emergency and would shield those volunteers from liability.

Rep. Cecil Bell, Jr. (Magnolia) filed, House Bill 487, which would increase the flexibility of fire departments and emergency personnel to utilize volunteers, heavy equipment and other resources during hazardous or dangerous situations, such as wildfires. In exchange for their services, volunteers are explicitly granted liability protection under Chapter 79 of the Civil Practices and Remedies Code.

In 2011 alone, 1,038 Texas fire departments reported 1,731,912 fire and non-fire incidents to the Texas Fire Incident Reporting System, according to Bell. Fire departments responded to 102,799 fires – one fire every five minutes.

As a result of these fires, 169 civilians lost their lives, 825 civilians were injured, and $1.03 billion in property loss was realized.