(A) For purposes of this chapter:
(1) "Dry fire hydrant" means a fire hydrant that is connected to a source of water from which water is pumped for fire suppression or fire suppression training.
(2) "Firefighting agency" means any entity that provides firefighting services including, but not limited to:
(a) a fire department;
(b) a political subdivision of this State authorized to provide firefighting services; and
(c) the South Carolina Forestry Commission or commission cooperators.
(3) "Source of water" means a water system, water tank, ditch, pool, pond, lake, or river.
(4) "Fire and rescue resources" means local firefighting and rescue resources that include structural firefighting teams, firefighting water supply teams, wild land firefighting teams, rescue teams, and hazardous materials teams.
(5) "South Carolina Emergency Response Task Force" means an organization of specialized units manned through voluntary participation by various agencies and overseen by the State Fire Marshal that provides a comprehensive all-hazard tiered response to incidents by providing services including, but not limited to, firefighting, urban search and rescue, aviation search and rescue, technical rescue, incident support, and the mitigation of hazardous materials.
(6) "Hazardous materials team" means a specialized unit that responds to the spill, leak, or disbursement of a hazardous product in order to identify, mitigate, and recover from the effects of that incident.
(B) An owner, lessee, or occupant of real property from whom a firefighting agency utilizes a source of water for firefighting purposes is not liable for damage for personal injury, death, or injury to or destruction of property occurring from:
(1) removal of water from a dry fire hydrant or the installation and maintenance of a dry fire hydrant;
(2) removal of water by drafting or through a pressure hose;
(3) removal of water by a bucket or hose suspended from a helicopter; or
(4) removal of water by a fixed wing aircraft.
HISTORY: 2000 Act No. 386, Section 1; 2013 Act No. 85, Section 7, eff June 13, 2013.
Effect of Amendment
The 2013 amendment added subsections (A)(4), (A)(5), and (A)(6), the definitions for "Fire and rescue resources", "South Carolina Emergency Response Task Force", and "Hazardous materials team".