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                            CHAPTER 329-S.F.No. 2861 
                  An act relating to health; providing for the use of 
                  automatic external defibrillators; providing immunity 
                  from civil liability; amending Minnesota Statutes 
                  1996, section 604A.01, subdivision 2.  
           Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 604A.01, 
        subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 2.  [GENERAL IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY.] (a) A person 
        who, without compensation or the expectation of compensation, 
        emergency or during transit to a location where professional 
        medical care can be rendered, is not liable for any civil 
        damages as a result of acts or omissions by that person in 
        rendering the emergency care, advice, or assistance, unless the 
        person acts in a willful and wanton or reckless manner in 
        providing the care, advice, or assistance.  This subdivision 
        assistance during the course of regular employment, and 
        receiving compensation or expecting to receive compensation for 
        rendering the care, advice, or assistance. 
        emergency is an area outside the confines of a hospital or other 
        institution that has hospital facilities, or an office of a 
        person licensed to practice one or more of the healing arts 
        emergency includes areas threatened by or exposed to spillage, 
        seepage, fire, explosion, or other release of hazardous 
        materials, and includes ski areas and trails.  
        public or private nonprofit volunteer firefighter, volunteer 
        police officer, volunteer ambulance attendant, volunteer first 
        provider of emergency medical services, volunteer ski patroller, 
        and any partnership, corporation, association, or other entity.  
        not include payments, reimbursement for expenses, or pension 
        benefits paid to members of volunteer organizations. 
        providing emergency medical care by using or providing an 
        automatic external defibrillator, unless the person on whom the 
        device is to be used objects.  "Automatic external 
        defibrillator" means a medical device heart monitor and 
        defibrillator that: 
           (1) has received approval of its premarket notification, 
        from the United States Food and Drug Administration; 
           (2) is capable of recognizing the presence or absence of 
        ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia, and 
        is capable of determining, without intervention by an operator, 
        whether defibrillation should be performed; and 
           (3) upon determining that defibrillation should be 
        performed, automatically charges and requests delivery of an 
        electrical impulse to an individual's heart. 
           Presented to the governor March 20, 1998 
           Signed by the governor March 23, 1998, 10:58 a.m.

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes