S-4291.1

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5839

BySenate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Padden, Van De Wege, Wagoner, and L. Wilson)

AN ACT Relating to creating the crime of interfering with a firefighter or emergency medical services provider; adding a new section to chapter 9A.84 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 9A.84 RCW to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of interfering with a firefighter or emergency medical services provider if the person, with knowledge that another person is a firefighter or emergency medical services provider, intentionally prevents or attempts to prevent that firefighter or emergency medical services provider from performing his or her official duties.

(2) Interfering with a firefighter or emergency medical services provider is a gross misdemeanor.

(3) As used in this section:

(a) "Emergency medical services provider" includes any person who is an emergency medical technician or a first responder as defined in RCW 18.73.030 and any person who is a physician's trained advanced emergency medical technician and paramedic as defined in RCW 18.71.200.

(b) "Firefighter" includes a paid or volunteer firefighter or other employee of a fire department, county fire marshal's office, county fire prevention bureau, fire protection district, or regional fire authority.

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