Skip to main content
US Criminal Defense.org
Menu

California legal term

emergency rescue personnel in California Criminal Law

Current through 2026 California legislative session

In California criminal law, “emergency rescue personnel” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.

What does “emergency rescue personnel” mean in California criminal law?

“emergency rescue personnel” means any person who is an officer, employee or member of a fire department or fire protection or firefighting agency of the federal government, the State of California, a city, county, city and county, district, or other public or municipal corporation or political subdivision of this state, whether this person is a volunteer or partly paid or fully paid, while he or she is actually engaged in the on-the-site rescue of persons or property during an emergency as defined by subdivision (c) of Section 148.3. (Cal. Penal Code § 245.1)

Statutes defining or using this term

Related terms in the same statutes

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.