South Carolina S 144: Firefighter Emergency Transportation Exemption

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 144 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 11, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 144

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 44-61-100, RELATING TO EXEMPTIONS FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, SO AS 
TO ALLOW FIREFIGHTERS TO TRANSPORT PATIENTS IN VEHICLES OTHER THAN AMBULANCES 
WHEN FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVE BEFORE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE PROVIDERS AND THERE 
IS A PATIENT SUFFERING FROM A CONDITION REQUIRING AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 44-61-100 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
44-61-100. The following are exempted from the 
provisions of this article:

 (A) 
ambulances owned and operated by the Federal Government;

 (B) 
a vehicle or vehicles, including associated personnel, rendering assistance to 
community ambulances in the case of a catastrophe when licensed ambulances in 
the locality are insufficient to render the required services;

 (C) 
the use of a privately or publicly owned vehicle, not ordinarily utilized in 
the transportation of persons who are sick, injured, or otherwise incapacitated 
and operating pursuant to Section 15-1-310 (Good Samaritan Act) in the 
prevention of loss of life and alleviation of suffering;

 (D) 
the use of out-of-state ambulance services and personnel to assist with 
treatment and transport of patients during a disaster or catastrophe when 
licensed services in the locality are insufficient to render the required 
services.;

 (E) a firefighter, regardless of 
whether the firefighter is licensed as an emergency medical service provider, 
may transport a patient suffering from a condition requiring an emergency 
response to a health care facility in a vehicle other than an ambulance if:

 (1) the appropriate emergency medical 
service provider is notified of the patient's condition requiring an emergency 
response; and

 (2) licensed ambulances in the 
locality are insufficient or unavailable to provide emergency medical services 
imminently at the patient's location.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 11, 2024 at 04:38 PM