Idaho § 6-2401 - Liability for emergency responses

§ 6-2401. Liability for emergency responses

(1) Any person who knowingly enters into any area that has been closed to the public by competent authority for any reason, where such closure is posted by sign, barricade or other device, is liable for the expenses of an emergency response required to search for or rescue such person or, if the person was operating a vehicle, any of his or her passengers, plus expenses for the removal of any inoperable vehicle. This section shall not apply to any person who is authorized by the land owner, lessor or manager of the closed area, to be in the closed area, and further shall have no application to any federal, state or local government official who is in the closed area as part of his or her official duty, nor to any person acting in concert with a government authorized search or rescue.

(2) Unless otherwise provided by law, subsection (1) of this section shall apply only to persons eighteen (18) years of age or older and shall apply to all such persons irrespective of whether the person is on foot, on skis or snowshoes, or is operating a motor vehicle, bicycle, vessel, watercraft, raft, snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle, or any other boat or vehicle of any description.

(3) Unless otherwise provided by law, subsection (1) of this section shall only apply to the person who knowingly enters the closed area, and not to his or her family, heirs or assigns.

(4) Expenses of an emergency response are a charge against the person liable for those expenses pursuant to subsection (1) of this section. The charge constitutes a debt of that person and may be collected proportionately by the public agencies, for-profit entities and not-for-profit entities that incurred the expenses. The person’s liability for expenses of an emergency response shall not exceed four thousand dollars ($4,000) for a single incident. The liability imposed under this section is in addition to and not in limitation of any other liability that is imposed.

(5) An insurance policy may exclude coverage for a person’s liability for expenses of an emergency response under this section.

(6) Any public agency or private entity that receives full reimbursement from the state search and rescue fund shall not attempt to collect any money from the person. In such cases, the debt described in subsection (4) of this section is collectable by the state of Idaho for reimbursement to the state search and rescue fund.

(7) For purposes of this section:

(a) "Expenses of an emergency response" means those reasonable and necessary costs directly incurred by public agencies, for-profit entities or not-for-profit entities that make an appropriate emergency response to an incident, and shall include the cost of providing police, firefighting, search and rescue, and emergency medical services at the scene of an incident and the salaries of the persons who respond to the incident.

(b) "Public agency" means this state and any city, county, municipal corporation or other public authority that is located in whole or in part in this state and that provides police, firefighting, medical or other emergency services.

[6-2401, added 2002, ch. 267, sec. 1, p. 797; am. 2003, ch. 38, sec. 1, p. 157.]