Liability and Immunity in Public Health Emergencies

As an emergency responder, one may become exposed to legal liability caused by their participation in emergency response activities. These responders can be either employees or volunteers, and can encounter either liability or immunity. The distinction and understanding of circumstances warranting liability and immunity is crucial for emergency responders to understand. Unfortunately, an unclear understanding of legal consequences that can occur in emergency response may deter individuals from participating in response activities. For this reason, public health emergency responders must be equipped with the knowledge of state and federal laws providing for their immunity or liability.