Colorado § 29-5-301 - Definitions.

§ 29-5-301. Definitions.

As used in this part 3, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Covered individual" means a firefighter, part-time firefighter, or volunteer firefighter who meets the coverage requirements in section 29-5-302 (9).

(2) "Employer" means a municipality, special district, fire authority, or county improvement district that employs one or more covered individuals. Beginning July 1, 2020, "employer" also means the division of fire prevention and control created in section 24-33.5-1201. "Employer" does not include a power authority created pursuant to section 29-1-204 or a municipally owned utility.

(3) "Firefighter" means a full-time, active employee of an employer who regularly works at least one thousand six hundred hours in any calendar year and whose duties are directly involved with the provision of fire protection services.

(4) "Heart and circulatory malfunction" means a sudden and serious malfunction of the heart and circulatory system as occurs in a diagnosis of coronary thrombosis, cerebral vascular accident, myocardial infarction, or cardiac arrest and that meets the requirements of section 29-5-302 (6). "Heart and circulatory malfunction" does not include hypertension or angina.

(5) "Part-time firefighter" means an active employee of an employer who regularly works less than one thousand six hundred hours in any calendar year, whose duties are directly involved with the provision of fire protection services, and who is not a volunteer firefighter.

(6) "Volunteer firefighter" means either a volunteer firefighter as defined in section 31-30-1102 or an individual who provides volunteer services to a fire authority that is created by an intergovernmental agreement that provides fire protection.

(7) "Work event" means stressful or strenuous activity related to fire suppression, rescue, hazardous material response, emergency medical services, disaster relief, or other emergency response activity. "Work event" includes a training activity that a covered individual engages in while on duty and that involves stressful or strenuous activity.

Source: L. 2014: Entire part added, (SB 14-172), ch. 325, p. 1424, § 1, effective January 1, 2015. L. 2020: (1) amended, (SB 20-057), ch. 143, p. 621, § 1, effective June 29. L. 2024: Entire section amended, (HB 24-1219), ch. 282, p. 1880, § 1, effective May 29.