SUMMARY--Allows privately owned vehicles of volunteer firemen to be designated as authorized emergency vehicles. (BDR 43-845)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State or on Industrial Insurance: No.
EXPLANATION - Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets [ ] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to emergency vehicles; allowing the privately owned vehicles of volunteer firemen to be designated as authorized emergency vehicles; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
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Section 1 NRS 484.787 is hereby amended to read as follows:
484.787 1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 484.789, authorized emergency vehicles are vehicles publicly owned and operated in the performance of the duty of:
(a) A police or fire department.
(b) A sheriff's office.
(c) The Nevada highway patrol.
(d) The division of forestry of the department of conservation and natural resources in responding to a fire.
(e) A public ambulance agency.
(f) A public lifeguard or lifesaving agency.
2. A vehicle privately owned and operated by a volunteer fireman, or a vehicle publicly maintained in whole or in part by the state, or by a city or county, and privately owned and operated by a regularly salaried member of a police department, sheriff's office or traffic law enforcement department, is an authorized emergency vehicle if:
(a) The vehicle has a permit, pursuant to NRS 484.789, from the department;
(b) The person operates the vehicle in responding to emergency calls or fire alarms, or at the request of the Nevada highway patrol or in the pursuit of actual or suspected violators of the law; and
(c) The state, county or city does not furnish a publicly owned vehicle for the purposes stated in paragraph (b).
3. Every authorized emergency vehicle must be equipped with at least one flashing red warning lamp visible from the front and a siren for use as provided in this chapter, which lamp and siren must be in compliance with standards approved by the department. In addition, an authorized emergency vehicle may display revolving, flashing or steady red or blue warning lights to the front, sides or rear of the vehicle.
4. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a system or device that causes the upper-beam head lamps of the vehicle to continue to flash alternately while the system or device is activated. The driver of a vehicle that is so equipped may use the system or device when responding to an emergency call or fire alarm, while escorting a funeral procession, or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law. As used in this subsection, "upper-beam head lamp" means a head lamp or that part of a head lamp which projects a distribution of light or composite beam meeting the requirements of subsection 1 of NRS 484.587.
5. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a person shall not operate a motor vehicle with any system or device that causes the head lamps of the vehicle to continue to flash alternately or simultaneously while the system or device is activated. This subsection does not prohibit the operation of a motorcycle equipped with any system or device that modulates the intensity of light produced by the head lamp of the motorcycle, if the system or device is used only during daylight hours and conforms to the requirements of 49 C.F.R. § 571.108.
6. A person shall not operate a vehicle with any lamp or device displaying a red light visible from directly in front of the center of the vehicle except an authorized emergency vehicle, a school bus or an official vehicle of a regulatory agency.
7. A person shall not operate a vehicle with any lamp or device displaying a blue light, except an authorized emergency vehicle.
Sec. 2 NRS 484.789 is hereby amended to read as follows:
484.789 1. The department may issue permits for authorized emergency vehicles to vehicles required to be operated [primarily] for the immediate preservation of life or property or for the apprehension of violators of the law. The permits must not be issued to vehicles when there are available comparable services provided by agencies referred to in NRS 484.787.
2. The issuance of the permits to vehicles under this section must be limited to:
(a) Agencies designated in NRS 484.787;
(b) Vehicles owned or operated by an agency of the United States engaged primarily in law enforcement work;
(c) Vehicles privately owned and operated by volunteer firemen;
(d) Ambulances designed and operated exclusively as such; and
[(d)] (e) Supervisory vehicles which are:
(1) Marked and used to coordinate and direct the response of ambulances to emergencies;
(2) Privately owned by a person licensed to operate an ambulance; and
(3) Operated under contract with a local governmental agency and at the request of its law enforcement agency or fire department.
3. The following are not emergency vehicles and must not be permitted to operate as such:
(a) Tow cars;
(b) Vehicles used by public utilities;
(c) Vehicles used in merchant patrols;
(d) Vehicles used in private escort service;
(e) [Privately owned vehicles of volunteer firemen;
(f)] Privately owned vehicles of reserve members of a police department or a sheriff's office; and
[(g)] (f) Vehicles of private detectives.
Sec. 3 This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.