(1) Except for willful and wanton acts or
omissions, no state commission or agency or county or municipal agency, including
local emergency planning committees, citizen corps councils, fire protection
districts, and volunteer fire, ambulance, or emergency service and rescue groups,
nor their officers, officials, directors, employees, or volunteers, when engaged in
emergency planning, service, or response activities regarding a hazardous material
release, threat of release, or act of terrorism, shall be liable for:
(a) The death of or injury to any person or for the loss of or damage to
property or the environment resulting from the hazardous material release, threat
of release, or act of terrorism; or
(b) The acts of an insurer or insurance company, corporation, association, or
partnership, including any employees, contractors, or agents, engaged in activities
intended to protect the insurable private property interests of the insurer's
policyholders from harm, loss, damage, or destruction.
(1.5) (a) No private organization or any of its officers, officials, directors,
employees, or volunteers, when working under the direction of a local emergency
planning committee or state or local fire or law enforcement agency and when
engaged in emergency planning, training, or response activities regarding a
hazardous material release, threat of release, or act of terrorism, shall be liable for
the death of or injury to any person or for the loss of or damage to property or the
environment resulting from the hazardous material release, threat of release, or act
of terrorism, except for willful and wanton acts or omissions.
(b) An insurer, insurance company, corporation, association, or partnership,
including any employees, contractors, or agents, engaged in activities intended to
protect the insurable private property interests of the insurer's policyholders from
harm, loss, damage, or destruction does not constitute a private organization
entitled to immunity from liability under the provisions of this section, and an
employee, contractor, or agent of the insurer is not a volunteer as that term is
defined or construed in accordance with the provisions of the Colorado
Governmental Immunity Act, article 10 of this title, regardless of whether such
activities may be subject to the direction of a local emergency planning committee
or a state or local fire or law enforcement agency.
(2) (a) No state commission or agency or county or municipal agency,
including local emergency planning committees, incident management teams,
citizen corps councils, citizen emergency response teams, medical reserve corps,
fire protection districts, and volunteer fire, ambulance, or emergency service and
rescue groups, nor their officers, officials, directors, employees, trainees, or
volunteers, when engaged in planning, training, or response activities regarding a
natural disaster, hazardous material release, public health emergency, or act of
terrorism or the threat of any such disaster, release, emergency, or act, shall be
liable for the death of or injury to any person or for the loss of or damage to
property or the environment except for gross negligence or willful and wanton acts
or omissions.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection (2), a plaintiff may sue
and recover civil damages from a person or entity specified in said paragraph (a)
based upon a negligent act or omission involving the operation of a motor vehicle;
except that the amount recovered from such person or entity shall not exceed the
limits of applicable insurance coverage maintained by or on behalf of such person
or entity with respect to the negligent operation of a motor vehicle in such
circumstances. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the right
of a plaintiff to recover from a policy of uninsured or underinsured motorist
coverage available to the plaintiff as a result of a motor vehicle accident.
(c) The general assembly intends that the provisions of this subsection (2)
and of the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, article 10 of this title, be read
together and harmonized. If any provision of this subsection (2) is construed to
conflict with a provision of the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, the
provision that grants the greatest immunity shall prevail.
(3) Neither the director nor any member of the subcommittee or any local
emergency planning committee shall be liable for the death of or any injury to
persons or loss or damage to property or the environment or any civil damages
resulting from any act or omission arising out of the performance of the functions,
duties, and responsibilities of the director or subcommittee or local emergency
planning committee, except for acts or omissions which constitute willful
misconduct.
(4) Nothing in this section abrogates or limits the immunity or exemption
from civil liability of any agency, entity, or person under any statute, including the
Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, article 10 of this title, or section 13-21-108.5, C.R.S.