34:15-74. Compensation insurance provided for certain volunteers by municipality or county

34:15-74. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the governing body of every municipality and the committee of every fire district shall provide compensation insurance for special, reserve or auxiliary policemen doing volunteer public police duty, for volunteer firemen doing public fire duty and volunteer first aid and emergency squad workers doing public first aid and rescue duty under the control or supervision of any commission, council or other governing body of the municipality or any board of fire commissioners of such municipality or of any fire district, and the board of chosen freeholders shall provide compensation insurance for county fire marshals and assistant county fire marshals, within the meaning of R.S.34:15-43. Such insurance shall provide compensation for every special, reserve or auxiliary policeman, and for every such fireman or authorized first aid or rescue squad worker or county fire marshal or assistant county fire marshal who shall be a member of any first aid or rescue squad created within the fire company of which he is a member or authorized first aid or rescue squad worker, or composed of members and authorized first aid or rescue squad workers of different fire companies in the same municipality for injuries received while acting in response to any call made upon such squad, for first aid or rescue work, whether such call be made because of a fire or otherwise.

The provisions of this section shall not require the governing body of any municipality or the committee of any fire district which contributes to the support of a volunteer fire company or volunteer first aid or rescue squad serving said municipality or district but located, or its headquarters maintained, without said municipality or district to provide compensation insurance for the members of said company or squad who are covered by compensation insurance carried by the municipality or district within which said company or squad is located, or its headquarters maintained, whenever evidence of such insurance coverage is supplied to or otherwise obtained by said governing body or committee, nor shall the provisions of this section require the governing body of any municipality or the committee of any fire district to provide compensation insurance whenever evidence that a fire company has obtained its own insurance coverage is provided to the governing body or committee.

Except as otherwise provided by this section, the governing body of a municipality or county shall provide compensation insurance for each emergency management volunteer registered with and doing emergency management service on behalf of that municipality or county pursuant to P.L.1942, c.251 (C.App. A:9-33 et seq.), unless the governing body provides workers' compensation coverage for each emergency management volunteer and has evidence of such coverage or the governing body has received or obtained proof that workers' compensation insurance coverage for each emergency management volunteer is provided by an emergency management council.

The provisions of this section shall not require the governing body of a municipality to pay for compensation insurance or make reimbursement of any portion of the expense of medical, surgical or hospital treatment for an emergency management volunteer, if that insurance or reimbursement is being furnished by the United States Government or any agent thereof.

Amended 1940,c.108; 1946,c.300,s.2; 1948,c.430,s.2; 1952,c.316,s.1; 1953,c.340,s.1; 1958,c.149,s.2; 1964,c.257,s.2; 1978,c.145,s.2; 1995,c.383,s.2.