As Reported by the House Local Government and Public Administration Committee

128th General Assembly Regular Session 2009-2010

Am. H. B. No. 403

Representative DeGeeter 

Cosponsors: Representatives Evans, Murray, Ujvagi, Domenick, Foley, Dodd, Harwood, Bacon, Brown, Williams, B., Bolon, Slesnick, Letson, Yuko, Hagan, Derickson, Sears 

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A BILL

To enact section 737.053 of the Revised Code to

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authorize a nonchartered municipal corporation to

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establish a community emergency response team

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within the public safety department of the

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municipal corporation.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 737.053 of the Revised Code be	6
enacted to read as follows:	7

Sec. 737.053.  The legislative authority of a municipal	8
corporation may establish, by ordinance, a community emergency	9
response team within the public safety department of the municipal	10
corporation, and may provide for the regulation of community	11
emergency response team members. The director of public safety	12
shall be the executive head of the community emergency response	13
team, shall make all appointments and removals of team members,	14
subject to any general rules prescribed by the legislative	15
authority by ordinance, and shall prescribe rules for the	16
organization, training, administration, control, and conduct of	17
the community emergency response team. Members of the community	18
emergency response team shall not be in the classified service of	19
the municipal corporation and shall not be eligible for membership	20
in the public employees retirement system.	21

A "community emergency response team" is a group of	22
volunteers who educates persons in the municipal corporation about	23
disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact the community	24
and who trains those persons in basic disaster response skills,	25
such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization,	26
and disaster medical operations. Members of the community	27
emergency response team may assist first responders in accordance	28
with the policies developed by the director of public safety.	29

A community emergency response team providing service to a	30
municipal corporation under this section has the same immunities	31
and defenses in a civil action that a political subdivision has	32
under section 2744.02 of the Revised Code. The members of the	33
community emergency response team have the same immunities and	34
defenses in a civil action that employees of a political	35
subdivision have under section 2744.03 of the Revised Code.	36