ASTM F2047-00
(Practice)Standard Practice for Workers' Compensation Coverage of Emergency Services Volunteers
Standard Practice for Workers' Compensation Coverage of Emergency Services Volunteers
SCOPE
1.1 This standard defines the application of insurance benefits for Emergency Services Volunteers and Units in the manner and extent as provided for under the Workers' Compensation statutes of the state in which the Volunteer or Unit provides services.
1.2 This standard identifies the basic types of Emergency Service Volunteer, and the types of activities that should be covered by workers' compensation insurance.
1.3 This standard includes both Emergency Service Units who operate as organized resources to a public authority legally responsible for the provision of search and rescue and other emergency services, as well as those volunteers who respond to a general request to the Public for their services.
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Designation:F2047–00
Standard Practice for
Workers’ Compensation Coverage of Emergency Services
Volunteers
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 2047; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope vices Volunteers (ESVs) while the ESV is actively providing
services to theAgency as defined in Section 5 of this Standard.
1.1 This standard defines the application of insurance ben-
This period of activity shall be considered to be employment as
efits for Emergency Services Volunteers and Units in the
defined by the Workers’ Compensation Statutes in the State in
manner and extent as provided for under the Workers’ Com-
which the Agency exists.
pensation statutes of the state in which the Volunteer or Unit
Emergency Services Volunteers are presumed to be re-
provides services.
quested irregularly to provide special skills or assistance on
1.2 This standard identifies the basic types of Emergency
behalf of theAgency.As such, these volunteers act as part-time
Service Volunteer, and the types of activities that should be
employees of theAgency and are empowered to act to provide
covered by workers’ compensation insurance.
these services when specifically requested to do so, or pursuant
1.3 This standard includes both Emergency Service Units
to an approved plan or schedule, or under the supervision of a
who operate as organized resources to a public authority
full-time employee.
legally responsible for the provision of search and rescue and
2.3.1 Search and Rescue Volunteer—an individual who
other emergency services, as well as those volunteers who
volunteers his/her services in the performance of searches
respond to a general request to the Public for their services.
and/or rescues, with the accompanying training proficiency. In
2. Terminology addition to those specifically described in this Standard, this
definition may be applied to air, ground or water search
2.1 Workers’ Compensation Insurance— insurance required
volunteers, search dog specialists and emergency managers,
by law of employers for the medical expenses and loss of
and others not included by specific reference.
wages incurred by an employee by reason of a job-related
2.3.2 Volunteer Firefighter—an individual who volunteers
injury, illness or death.
his/her services in the performance of fire suppression activi-
2.2 Legal Authority (Agency)—the individual or govern-
ties, with the accompanying training proficiency.
ment agency given responsibility and authority for search,
2.3.3 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Volunteer—an
rescue,fire,andotheremergencyordisasterservicesbystatute.
individual who volunteers his/her services in the performance
Where multiple, concurrent or overlapping authorities exist,
of emergency medical services, with the accompanying train-
the term is used to refer to the legal authority ultimately
ing proficiency.
empowering and accepting responsibility for the volunteer
2.3.4 Disaster Services Volunteer—an individual who vol-
unit. For the purposes of this Standard, the terms Legal
unteers his/her services to an agency upon a request for
Authority and Agency shall bear the same definition of
services upon the occurrence of an emergency or disaster,
terminology and meaning.
under the direct supervision of the agency, and with the
2.3 Emergency Services Volunteer (ESV)— an individual
appropriate training activity.
who volunteers his/her services to, and whose services are
2.4 Emergency Services Unit (ESU)— an individual, or a
accepted by, an Agency in response to a request for an
collection of individuals forming an association, organization,
emergency function for which no substantive monetary benefit
group, team or similar resource organized or volunteering to
is expected or received. The Legal Authority incurs Workers’
provide search and/or rescue, fire or other emergency service
Compensation Insurance responsibility for Emergency Ser-
activity for a responsibleAgency.An individual or other single
resource may be considered a unit if the service can be
This practice is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee F32 on Search and
appropriately rendered (e.g. a dog handler or tracker, air search
Rescue and is the direct responsibility of F32.02 on Management and Operations.
volunteer or emergency manager).
Current edition approved July 10, 2000.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
F2047
An Emergency Services Unit operates within a formal Training will typically include equipment familiarity and
division of the legal authority as a recognized unit of the legal maintenance, both at the storage and readiness facility, at areas
removed from the facility, and as further defined in 3.8 of this
authority or agency, and is organized and recognized by that
document.
agency as a resource of its emergency and disaster services
general plan.
2.8 Community Education—activities generated by the ESU
to contact the Public to increase the awareness and prepared-
Such a unit is expected to adopt a training program sufficient
ness of the Public in areas of preventative search and rescue
to maintain a skill level equal to or greater than recognized
(PSAR),fireprevention,medicalanddisasterpreparednessand
national standards or as acceptable to the Agency requesting
survival.
their services, and will typically engage in community educa-
tion programs. 2.9 Call-Out—the notice and request to activate an ESU or
ESV by an Agency for the purpose of providing emergency
Other examples of an ESU include, but are not limited to,
services on behalf of the requesting agency.
volunteer search and rescue units, volunteer emergency medi-
If members are requested to respond directly, through radio
cal squads, volunteer fire fighters or designated civilian volun-
teers who have formed organized and trained groups and who paging, for example, then each member is considered to be
called-out and responding as of that time.
serve their city, county or state agency in the performance of
their services.
2.10 Mobilization—the activity of an ESU or ESV as
required to respond to the call-out in an equipped and prepared
2.5 Auxiliary Unit (AU)—an individual, or a collection of
manner.
individualsformingaunitcalledtorespondbyalegalauthority
responsible for an emergency response function, which other-
Mobilization typically includes travel to an equipment cache
wise has no standing as a formal division or resource of that or vehicle readiness area to obtain equipment or to unite the
authority. For the purposes of this standard, the auxiliary status ESU for responding as a unit, and the travel of the unit to the
of an ESU means it has no legal responsibility for the services incident site or search base.
itself within the jurisdiction of theAgency, and no authority to
2.11 De-mobilization—the activity of an ESU or ESV as
provide them without acting under that of the Agency.
required to return from a call-out to the point of origin or to a
TheAuxiliary Unit is typically organized as a division of an non service-related stop enroute home or to the point of origin
Agency (as defined in 2.2), or as a non-profit corporation as of the ESU or ESV after having been relieved of duty by the
requesting legal authority.
defined in IRS Section 501(c)3, and which has a command
structure that enables it to fit within the Incident Command
De-mobilization typically includes equipment retrieval, mis-
System of a requesting Agency.
sion debriefing, personnel review, and travel from the incident
site or search base to an equipment cache, station or vehicle
Such a unit is expected to adopt a training program sufficient
readiness area to return the vehicles and equipment to a
to maintain a skill level equal to or greater than recognized
condition of readiness for the next call-out.
national standards or as acceptable to the Agency requesting
their services, and will typically engage in community educa-
2.12 Emergency Services—any activity requiring an in-
tion programs.
creased level of urgency in the rendering of assistance to the
entity requesting such assistance.
Some examples of an AU are volunteer search and rescue
resources, air search squads, emergency managers, search dog For the purposes of this Standard, emergency services are
specialists, ambulance squads, fire fighters, disaster service
defined as those related to search and rescue, fire suppression,
workers and communication specialists who are asked to medical and disaster services.
respond to assist another state, county or national park to
2.13 Check-In—the process by which one party notifies a
provide their services to augment those available to the
second of being in-service or responding to a request for
authorized requesting agency in that other state or jurisdiction.
services, and the second party acknowledges, typically by
2.6 General Public Emergency Volunteer (GPEV)—an in- voice and entry in a formal log.
dividual who volunteers his/her services, and whose services
Check-in occurs when an individual ESV contacts the
are accepted, in response to a request to the Public for
responding ESU, or when the ESU or ESV contacts the
emergency assistance.
requesting legal authority.
A GPEV is typically not a member of an organized emer-
Members of an ESU will typically be checked-in by the ESU
gency services unit, nor responding to a call for such organized
upon first verification of their response to the call-out, either in
units.
person at a rendezvous point or search base, by radio, or other
An example of a GPEV is an individual who is contacted means dictated by the type of response.
pursuant to a radio or television broadcast for the assistance of
The ESU will typically check-in with the legal authority
the general public with instructions to respond to a search base
either at the incident site or search base, or by radio once it is
to assist in a search operation.
mobilized appropriately to establish itself as ready for deploy-
ment to the incident.
2.7 Training—a curriculum of classroom education and
field exercises designed to create a level of competence A GPEV is required to check-in at the response place
meeting national standards for such activity, or as acceptable to
designated for such volunteers, and to be marked as in service
the agency requesting the services of such a volunteer. on the personnel log.
F2047
2.14 Check-out—the process by which one party notifies a while providing services as described in this Standard shall be
second that it is concluding its on-site services, and the second at the statutory limits of the Workers’ Compensation laws of
party acknowledges, typically by voice and entry in a formal the state of the agency requesting the services of the Emer-
log. gency Services Volunteer, and shall be administered in accor-
Check-out occurs when contact is made between the on-site dance with that Agency’s State Workers’ Compensation laws
Agency and the ESV or ESU to notify either entity that their and regulations.
services are being withdrawn from the activity.
3.6 Responsibility for Workers’ Compensation for members
Members of an ESU will typically be checked-out by the of Emergency Services Units shall be the same as outlined in
ESU upon the termination of the individual’s service pursuant
3.1,andshallbeprovidedbytheAgencynormallydirectingthe
to their response to the call-out, either in person at the point of activities of the ESU.
de-mobilization, at a rendezvous point or search base, by radio,
3.7 Responsibility for Workers’ Compensation for members
or other means dictated by the type of response.
of Emergency Services Auxiliary Units shall be the same as
The ESU will typically check-out with the legal authority
outlined in 3.1, and, unless provided for by other statute or
either at the incident site or search base, or by radio once it is
agreement, shall be provided by the Agency requesting the
prepared appropriately to establish itself as ready for check-out
services and directing the activities of the AU.
and de-mobilization from the incident.
3.8 To provide an agency with trained personnel who are
AGPEV is required to check-out at the same check-in place
able to work in a safe and effective manner, it is generally
for designated for such volunteers, and to be marked as out of
required that the Emergency Service Volunteer engage in
service on the incident personnel log.
training activity with the Emergency Service Unit.
2.15 Activity Period—The period during which the Emer-
A training plan is considered essential in establishing the
gency Services Volunteer, Unit or Auxiliary is exercising the
basis for workers’ compensation insurance coverage during
skills for which it has been requested.
training.TheplanservesasbothpriornoticetotheResponsible
This activity period may include a wide variety of functions,
LegalAuthority and documentation of training done to support
including but not limited to: a search and rescue team member
the level of service provided.The training plan is considered to
searching or climbing a cliff, a dog team handler following a
be a dynamic document, reflecting necessary changes due to
scent; a firefighter engaged in suppressing a fire or rescuing a
weather, unit participation, newly identified skills, and rear-
person from a burning building; an ambulance driver or medic
ranged priorities.As changes are made to the training plan, the
providingmedicalassistance;atrackerleadingatrackingteam;
revised plan is to be submitted to the Agency.
a disaster worker in a collapsed building; a pilot engaged in an
The training plan may be required by the Agency, munici-
air search flight; or emergency communications personnel
pality or government entity providing coverage and benefits in
providing communications during a time of need.
accordance with its contract for services or merely as a
convenience to define activity periods.
3. Significance and Use
The training plan should establish goals and list measurable
3.1 It is presumed for the purposes of this Standard that the
objectives. These goals provide a basis for a relationship
LegalAuthority (Agency) having responsibility for emergency
between training and the incident response services provided.
services in a given jurisdiction also has a legal responsibility to
The plan should list all planned activity of the unit and who is
provide Workers’ Compensation Insurance coverage for regu-
expected to participate. This will delineate where insurance
lar paid e
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