§ 156-g. Establishment of teams for urban search and rescue, specialty
rescue and incident support. 1. Authorization to establish urban search
and rescue task force teams, specialty rescue teams, and incident
support teams. The commissioner of the division of homeland security and
emergency services after consultation with the state fire administrator
shall have the authority to establish, organize, administer, support,
train, and fund urban search and rescue task force teams, specialty
rescue teams, and incident support teams created pursuant to this
section.

2. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms
shall have the following meanings:

(a) "urban search and rescue task force team" shall mean a specialized
team or group of teams, formed pursuant to this section, organized with
capabilities equivalent to urban search and rescue task force teams
established under the federal emergency management agency in order to
assist in the removal of trapped victims in emergency situations
including, but not limited to, collapsed structures, trench excavations,
elevated locations, and other technical rescue situations.

(b) "specialty rescue team" shall mean a specialized team, formed
pursuant to this section, organized to provide technical rescue
assistance to first responders including, but not limited to, canine
search and rescue/disaster response, cave search and rescue, collapse
search and rescue, mine and tunnel search and rescue, and swift
water/flood search and rescue teams. Such teams shall be aligned with
one or more of the search and rescue categories within the federal
emergency management agency's national resource typing system.

(c) "incident support team" shall mean a team of trained response
personnel, formed pursuant to this section, organized to provide
coordination with governmental agencies and non-governmental
organizations as well as technical, and logistical support to urban
search and rescue task force teams and specialty rescue teams.

3. Appointment and training of team members; equipment. (a) The
commissioner of the division of homeland security and emergency services
is hereby authorized to appoint members to any team created pursuant to
this section. Team membership shall consist of local emergency response
personnel, state agency personnel and specialty personnel as required.

(b) The commissioner of the division of homeland security and
emergency services shall be responsible for training and equipping the
teams established pursuant to this section and for training such other
teams located within the state for response to man-made or natural
disasters to the extent appropriations are provided. The commissioner of
the division of homeland security and emergency services shall support
the capabilities of each team established pursuant to this section with
the necessary training and equipment to ensure mobilization and
deployment for rapid response to emergencies and disasters to the extent
appropriations are provided.

4. Accreditation of teams. The commissioner of the division of
homeland security and emergency services shall have the authority to
establish an accreditation program to review and evaluate new and
existing local and regional technical rescue capabilities, and provide
recommendations for capability enhancement in accordance with the
national incident management system, the national response plan, and
nationally recognized standards.

5. Defense, indemnification and insurance coverage of team members.
Members of the teams formed pursuant to this section who are volunteer
firefighters, volunteer ambulance workers, municipal or state employees,
or employees of a non-governmental entity shall be provided coverage by
their respective municipalities, organizations, and entities for
purposes of sections seventeen and eighteen of the public officers law
and/or other defense and indemnification coverage and workers'
compensation coverage pursuant to applicable provisions of the workers'
compensation law or benefits pursuant to applicable provisions of the
volunteer firefighters' benefit law or the volunteer ambulance workers'
benefit law. Individuals appointed to an urban search and rescue task
force team, a specialty rescue team or an incident support team, for
which such coverage is not available, shall be deemed volunteer state
employees for purposes of section seventeen of the public officers law
and section three of the workers' compensation law.

6. Rules and regulations. The commissioner of the division of homeland
security and emergency services after consultation with the state fire
administrator shall have the authority to promulgate rules and
regulations as deemed necessary relating to the accreditation of urban
search and rescue task force teams, specialty rescue teams, and incident
support teams and to the formation and operation of all teams
established pursuant to this section.

7. Funding. The division of homeland security and emergency services
shall expend the necessary monies for training, equipment, and other
items necessary to support the operations of urban search and rescue
task force teams, specialty rescue teams and incident support teams
within appropriations provided. The division of homeland security and
emergency services also may, pursuant to applicable rules and
regulations approved by the director of the division of the budget,
approve grants of funds from monies allocated and appropriated for any
or all such teams.