South Carolina § 40-80-10 - Short title, definitions.

§ 40-80-10. Short title, definitions.

(A) This chapter may be cited as the "South Carolina Firefighters Employment and Registration Act".

(B) For purposes of this chapter:

(1) "Employer" means any fire department which puts an individual or employee in service as a firefighter or assigns any person to work or to official duties as a firefighter whether or not the firefighter receives financial compensation.

(2) "Employment date" means the date the fire chief certifies the firefighter has been added to the fire department's roster as a recruit or is trained and prepared to perform firefighting duties.

(3) "Fire chief" means the highest ranking officer or official in charge of a fire department, whether or not called by some other title.

(4) "Fire department" means any legally organized fire department or fire service in this State that:

(a) engages in fire suppression and other related fire service activities;

(b) provides fire protection to a dedicated response district, other than their own property, and must be officially recognized, created, or chartered by a town, municipality, county, or the State;

(c) has a Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating through the Insurance Services Office (ISO). This rating may be as an individual department or in conjunction with neighboring districts;

(d) is dispatched by a 911 dispatch center or a local government-owned Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Effective no later than July 1, 2026, the fire department must be verified by the State Fire Marshal's Office and issued a valid South Carolina Fire Department (SCFD) number and is eligible for a National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) number; and

(e) is registered and maintains a roster of its members with both the State Fire Marshal and the South Carolina State Firefighters' Association.

(5) "Firefighter" means any person, male or female, paid or unpaid, who engages in rescue, fire suppression, or related activities under the supervision of a fire chief or fire department.

(6) "Firefighting duties" means duties relating to rescue, fire suppression, public safety, and related activities as assigned by a fire chief.

HISTORY: 2001 Act No. 60, SECTION 1; 2025 Act No. 32 (S.101), SECTION 1, eff May 12, 2025.

Effect of Amendment

2025 Act No. 32, SECTION 1, in (B)(1), the definition of employer, deleted "or other entity" following "fire department"; in (B)(2), the definition of employment date, inserted "has been added to the fire department's roster as a recruit or" following "firefighter"; and rewrote (B)(4), the definition of fire department.