§ 28-8b — Use of nerve agent antidote medications.

(a) Any paid or volunteer firefighter, police officer or emergency medical service personnel who successfully completes a training course in the use of automatic prefilled cartridge injectors may carry and use such injectors containing nerve agent antidote medications in the event of a nerve agent exposure. Such training course shall be approved by the commissioner and provided by the Connecticut Fire Academy, the Capitol Region Metropolitan Medical Response System or the federal government. (b) The state of Connecticut shall save harmless and indemnify any sponsor hospital or the medical director or designated staff of a sponsor hospital certified by the Department of Public Health to oversee the training, distribution or quality assurance of nerve agent antidote kits for purposes of subsection (a) of this section, from financial loss and expense, including legal fees and costs, if any, arising out of any claim, demand, suit or judgment by reason of alleged negligence or other act resulting in personal injury, which acts are not wanton, reckless or malicious, provided such person at the time of the acts resulting in such injury was acting in the discharge of such person's duties in providing such training, distribution or quality assurance of nerve agent antidote kits. (c) For purposes of this section, “sponsor hospital” means a hospital that has agreed to maintain staff for the provision of medical oversight, supervision and direction to an emergency medical service organization and its personnel and that has been approved for such activity by the Office of Emergency Medical Services.

Legislative History

(June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 168; P.A. 04-219, S. 26; P.A. 05-259, S. 4; P.A. 08-134, S. 2; P.A. 09-232, S. 34.) History: June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-219 substituted commissioner for director of the Office of Emergency Management, effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 05-259 designated existing language as Subsec. (a), added Subsec. (b) to provide immunity from liability, under certain circumstances, to sponsor hospitals and their staff who oversee the training, distribution or quality assurance of nerve antidote kits for purposes of Subsec. (a), and added Subsec. (c) to define “sponsor hospital”, effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 08-134 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting reference to use of nerve agent antidote medications for self-preservation or unit preservation; P.A. 09-232 amended Subsec. (c) by substituting “medical oversight” for “medical control”, effective January 1, 2010.