State Senator Greg Reed (R) has pre-filed a bill that would ensure that volunteer fire departments and rescue squads would “not be liable for any civil damages resulting from rendering assistance except for wanton misconduct.”

I’m no expert on volunteer fire fighters, and honestly wasn’t sure how to approach this bill. Having no knowledge of the current laws and working conditions of these fearless community servants, I reached out to someone who could answer these questions and give some expert input on the implications of this bill. Enter Morris T. Lentz, Vice-President of Bank Independent by day, Assistant Chief of the Rogersville Volunteer Fire Department and Vice President of the Lauderdale County Association of VFDs by night. Morris graciously agreed to answer some questions for me on the implications that this bill would have on the ability of him and his fellow volunteer fire fighters to save lives.

After reading the bill by Senator Reed, Morris Lentz says that “YES!” he is definitely a supporter of the bill. He said that currently, “Our fire department answers all emergency medical calls. However, several volunteer fire departments in our adjacent counties choose not to answer [medical] calls unless an EMT is present. Several calls go unanswered by those volunteers due to the lack of available EMTs.” Our highly trained, volunteer emergency response teams are forced to sit on the sidelines and watch these emergencies unfold, unable to help out because of the fear of liability. In our lawsuit-happy culture here in America today, who can honestly blame them?

However, this proposed legislation would bring about some much-needed changes that would empower these brave men and women to go out and save lives. Morris says they “could rest comfortable if first responders were protected in responding to medical emergencies without EMTs.” When asked if this would empower the volunteer fire departments to save more lives, he responded “Definitely,” as they would be able to respond to more 911 calls.

Let’s give a round of applause to Senator Reed for working hard to make our community a better place. “Follow” this blog (via the sidebar) to receive future updates on this bill and others as the legislative cycle progresses.

Also, thanks to Morris for answering my questions and for working tirelessly to keep Rogersville safe. He truly is an American hero.


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