(a) This chapter does not create a duty on participating governmental entities to respond to a request for aid or assistance nor to stay at the scene of an occurrence or emergency for any length of time. Upon receipt of a request for aid or assistance, a potential responding party shall determine whether and to what extent it will provide the aid or assistance. If the potential responding party determines in its complete discretion that it is not in its best interest to provide aid or assistance, it shall notify the requesting party of its decision as soon as possible. If the potential responding party determines that aid or assistance can be provided, it shall communicate the following information to the requesting party as soon as possible:

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 58-8-107

  • Aid: means the same as assistance, except that aid is provided in an occurrence during any period of time when a state of emergency has not been declared. See Tennessee Code 58-8-102
  • Assistance: means the provision of personnel, equipment, facilities, services, supplies, and other resources to assist in firefighting, law enforcement, the provision of public works services, the provision of emergency medical care, the provision of civil defense services, or any other emergency assistance one governmental entity is able to provide to another in response to a request for assistance in a municipal, county, state, or federal state of emergency. See Tennessee Code 58-8-102
  • Emergency: means an occurrence or threat of an occurrence, whether natural or man-made, that results in or may result in substantial injury or harm to the population or substantial damage to or loss of property and which results in a declaration of a state of emergency by a municipal mayor, a county mayor or executive, the governor, or the president. See Tennessee Code 58-8-102
  • Governmental entity: means any political subdivision of the state, including, but not limited to, any incorporated city or town, metropolitan government, county, utility district, school district, nonprofit volunteer fire department receiving public funds and recognized under title 68, chapter 102, part 3, rescue squad, human resource agency, public building authority, airport authority, and development district, or any instrumentality of government created by one (1) or more of these named governmental entities or the general assembly, or any entity otherwise recognized by state law as a local governmental entity. See Tennessee Code 58-8-102
  • Occurrence: means the imminent threat of an event or an actual event and its aftermath, whether natural or man-made, that could lead to or results in bodily injury or property damage. See Tennessee Code 58-8-102
  • Requesting party: means a governmental entity that requests aid or assistance from another governmental entity under this chapter. See Tennessee Code 58-8-102
  • Responding party: means a governmental entity that has received and responded to a request to provide mutual aid or assistance to another governmental entity under this chapter. See Tennessee Code 58-8-102
(1) A description of what personnel, equipment, and other resources it will provide;
(2) An estimate of the length of time aid or assistance will be available; and
(3) An estimated time of arrival at the scene or designated meeting place.
(b) The responding party may withdraw aid or assistance at any time. The responding party shall notify the requesting party as soon as possible of any decision to withdraw aid or assistance.
(c) The provisions of this section that require certain actions are directory rather than mandatory and do not create a public or special duty on the part of any participating governmental entity.
(d) In addition to any agreement for mutual aid made under title 5 or title 12, a governmental entity is authorized to respond to a request for mutual aid for emergency medical services under § 58-8-105(e) from a county that is contiguous to the requesting county or governmental entity for occurrences that involve serious injuries or possible loss of life in instances that might not reasonably lead to a declared emergency. A county is authorized to enter into a mutual aid agreement under title 12 to permit routine and automatic approval of and response to such requests.
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