republic-os/legal/us/code/title-42/chapter-15a/section-1856n-1.md

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LegalText	42 U.S.C. § 1856n–1	Reciprocal agreements with liability coverage	us	united_states_code	code_section	42	THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE	15A	RECIPROCAL FIRE PROTECTION AGREEMENTS	1856n–1	42 U.S.C. § 1856n–1	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc42@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t42/s1856n–1	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-42/usc42.xml	d3e130433c1d279f43a993e51d2431eee6ba4d9a424783f935c03097a8c649a3	644321055a08eb1f260a6a3e31ac157fa024756abf612a9fd6857e7e400cf24e	467560731fc3c4191decfacceb744c78eba1860aeb06ab4add2a2af0455647ec	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

42 U.S.C. § 1856n–1 - Reciprocal agreements with liability coverage

Text

(a) Protection from liability for foreign firefighters and foreign fire organizations Subject to subsection (b), in an agreement with a foreign fire organization entered into under section 1856n of this title, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior may provide that—

(1) a foreign firefighter shall be considered to be an employee of the United States for purposes of tort liability while the foreign firefighter is acting within the scope of an official duty under the agreement; and

(2) any claim against the foreign fire organization or any legal organization associated with the foreign firefighter that arises out of an act or omission of the foreign firefighter in the performance of an official duty under the agreement, or that arises out of any other act, omission, or occurrence for which the foreign fire organization or legal organization associated with the foreign firefighter is legally responsible under applicable law, may be prosecuted only—

(A) against the United States; and

(B) as if the act or omission were the act or omission of an employee of the United States.

(b) Protection from liability for Federal firefighters and the Federal Government The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior may provide the protections under subsection (a) if the foreign fire organization agrees—

(1) to assume any and all liability for any legal action brought against the Federal firefighter for an act or omission of the Federal firefighter while acting within the scope of an official duty under the agreement; and

(2) to the extent the United States or any legal organization associated with the Federal firefighter is not entitled to immunity from the jurisdiction of the courts having jurisdiction over the foreign fire organization receiving the services of the Federal firefighters, to assume any and all liability for any legal action brought against the United States or the legal organization arising out of—

(A) an act or omission of the Federal firefighter in the performance of an official duty under the agreement; or

(B) any other act, omission, or occurrence for which the United States or the legal organization associated with the Federal firefighter is legally responsible under the laws applicable to the foreign fire organization.

(Pub. L. 100–428, § 4, as added Pub. L. 112–74, div. E, title IV, § 411(5), Dec. 23, 2011, 125 Stat. 1040.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Prior ProvisionsA prior section 4 of Pub. L. 100–428 was renumbered section 5 and is classified to section 1856o of this title.