The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 20 V.S.A. § 50)
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§ 50. Urban Search and Rescue Team
(a) The Department of Public Safety is authorized to create the Urban Search and Rescue
(USAR) Team to provide for the rapid response of trained professionals to emergencies
and other hazards occurring in the State. The Commissioner shall appoint a USAR Team
program manager to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the USAR Team.
(b) The USAR Team program manager shall perform all the following duties:
(1) organize the State USAR Team to assist local first responders in response to emergencies
and other hazards;
(2) hire persons for the USAR Team from fire, police, and emergency medical services and
persons with specialty backgrounds in emergency response or search and rescue;
(3) coordinate the acquisition and maintenance of adequate vehicles and equipment for
the USAR Team;
(4) ensure that USAR Team personnel are organized, trained, and exercised in accordance
with the appropriate search and rescue standards or certifications;
(5) negotiate and enter into agreements with municipalities, municipal agencies that maintain
swiftwater rescue teams, State-recognized swiftwater rescue teams, or other technical
rescue teams to provide expert assistance and services to the USAR Team when necessary;
and
(6) coordinate USAR Team participation in search and rescue operations under chapter 112
of this title.
(c) The Department of Public Safety may employ as many USAR Team responders as the Commissioner
deems necessary as temporary State employees, who shall be compensated as such when
authorized to respond to an emergency or hazard incident or to attend USAR Team training.
State USAR Team responders, whenever acting as State agents in accordance with this
section, shall be afforded all of the protections and immunities of State employees. (Added 2023, No. 143 (Adj. Sess.), § 16, eff. July 1, 2024.)