(a) "First responder" includes: law-enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and others that respond to calls for emergency medical assistance.
(b) Neither a first responder nor his or her supervisor, agency, employer or supervising entity is liable for any civil damages or criminal liability resulting from a forcible entry of a home, business or other structure if the first responder:
(1) Is responding to a documented 911 call for emergency medical assistance;
(2) Has made reasonable efforts to summon an occupant of the home, business, or structure by knocking or otherwise notifying the occupant(s) of his or her presence;
(3) Has not received a response from an occupant within a reasonable period of time; and
(4) Has a good faith belief that it is necessary to make a forcible entry for the purposes of rendering emergency medical assistance or preventing imminent bodily harm.
(c) Nothing in this section shall affect the standard of care a first responder must employ when rendering aid after gaining entry.
Structure West Virginia Code
Chapter 55. Actions, Suits and Arbitration; Judicial Sale
Article 7. Actions for Injuries
§55-7-3. Unlawful Seizure or Attachment
§55-7-4. Action of Replevin Abolished
§55-7-5. Action for Death by Wrongful Act
§55-7-7. Compromise of Claim for Death by Wrongful Act
§55-7-8. Personal Injury Action Where Injuries Result in Death
§55-7-8a. Actions Which Survive; Limitations; Law Governing Such Actions
§55-7-9. Violation of Statutes
§55-7-10. Trespass Abolished; Trespass on the Case to Lie in Lieu Thereof
§55-7-11. Suits Against Unincorporated Common Carriers
§55-7-13a. Modified Comparative Fault Standard Established
§55-7-13c. Liability to Be Several; Amount of Judgment; Allocation of Fault
§55-7-14. Liability of Visual or Sound Broadcasting Stations for Defamatory Statements
§55-7-15. Aid to Victim of Accident and Victim of Crime; Immunity From Civil Liability
§55-7-16. Immunity From Liability for Ski Patrol Rendering Emergency Care
§55-7-18a. Employer Immunity From Liability; Disclosure of Information Regarding Former Employees
§55-7-20. Limiting Civil Liability of Nonprofits for Arranging Passage on Excursion Trains
§55-7-22. Civil Relief for Persons Resisting Certain Criminal Activities
§55-7-23. Prescription Drugs and Medical Devices; Limiting Health Care Providers' Liability Exposure
§55-7-27. Liability of Possessor of Real Property for Harm to a Trespasser
§55-7-29. Limitations on Punitive Damages
§55-7-31. Limitation on Products Liability Actions; Innocent Seller