{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/32.1-111.14_5.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/32.1-111.14_5.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/32.1-111.14_5.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/32.1-111.14_5.html"}],"law_id":58628,"edition_id":1,"section_id":58628,"structure_id":13671,"section_number":"32.1-111.14:5","catch_line":"Authority of emergency medical services agency incident commander when operating at an emergency incident; penalty for refusal to obey orders","history":"2015, cc. 502, 503.","full_text":"Except as provided in \u00a7 32.1-111.14:6, while any emergency medical services personnel are in the process of operating at an emergency incident where there is imminent danger and when emergency medical services personnel are returning to the emergency medical services agency, the incident commander of such emergency medical services agency at that time shall have the authority to (i) maintain order at such emergency incident or its vicinity, (ii) direct the actions of emergency medical services personnel at the incident, (iii) notwithstanding the provisions of \u00a7\u00a7 46.2-888 through 46.2-891, keep bystanders or other persons at a safe distance from the incident and emergency equipment, (iv) facilitate the speedy movement and operation of emergency equipment and emergency medical services personnel, and (v) until the arrival of a police officer, direct and control traffic in person or by deputy and facilitate the movement of traffic. The emergency medical services agency incident commander shall display his emergency medical services personnel’s badge or other proper means of identification. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this authority shall extend to the activation of traffic control signals designed to facilitate the safe egress and ingress of emergency equipment at an emergency medical services agency. Any person refusing to obey the orders of the emergency medical services incident commander at that time is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. The authority granted under the provisions of this section may not be exercised to inhibit or obstruct members of law-enforcement agencies or fire departments or fire companies from performing their normal duties when operating at such emergency incident, nor to conflict with or diminish the lawful authority, duties, and responsibilities of forest wardens, including but not limited to the provisions of Chapter 11 (\u00a7 10.1-1100 et seq.) of Title 10.1. Personnel from the news media, such as the press, radio, and television, when gathering the news may enter at their own risk into the incident area only when the incident commander has deemed the area safe and only into those areas of the incident that do not, in the opinion of the incident commander, interfere with the emergency medical services personnel dealing with such emergencies, in which case the emergency medical services incident commander may order such person from the scene of the emergency incident.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":214839,"text":"Except as provided in \u00a7 32.1-111.14:6, while any emergency medical services personnel are in the process of operating at an emergency incident where there is imminent danger and when emergency medical services personnel are returning to the emergency medical services agency, the incident commander of such emergency medical services agency at that time shall have the authority to (i) maintain order at such emergency incident or its vicinity, (ii) direct the actions of emergency medical services personnel at the incident, (iii) notwithstanding the provisions of \u00a7\u00a7 46.2-888 through 46.2-891, keep bystanders or other persons at a safe distance from the incident and emergency equipment, (iv) facilitate the speedy movement and operation of emergency equipment and emergency medical services personnel, and (v) until the arrival of a police officer, direct and control traffic in person or by deputy and facilitate the movement of traffic. The emergency medical services agency incident commander shall display his emergency medical services personnel’s badge or other proper means of identification. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this authority shall extend to the activation of traffic control signals designed to facilitate the safe egress and ingress of emergency equipment at an emergency medical services agency. Any person refusing to obey the orders of the emergency medical services incident commander at that time is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. The authority granted under the provisions of this section may not be exercised to inhibit or obstruct members of law-enforcement agencies or fire departments or fire companies from performing their normal duties when operating at such emergency incident, nor to conflict with or diminish the lawful authority, duties, and responsibilities of forest wardens, including but not limited to the provisions of Chapter 11 (\u00a7 10.1-1100 et seq.) of Title 10.1. Personnel from the news media, such as the press, radio, and television, when gathering the news may enter at their own risk into the incident area only when the incident commander has deemed the area safe and only into those areas of the incident that do not, in the opinion of the incident commander, interfere with the emergency medical services personnel dealing with such emergencies, in which case the emergency medical services incident commander may order such person from the scene of the emergency incident.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13671,"edition_id":1,"name":"Statewide Emergency Medical Services System and Services","identifier":"2.1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13670,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:31","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:31","permalink":{"id":202513,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13671,"identifier":"2.1","token":"32.1\/4\/2.1","url":"\/32.1\/4\/2.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13670,"edition_id":1,"name":"Health Care Planning","identifier":"4","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12727,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:31","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:31","permalink":{"id":202389,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13670,"identifier":"4","token":"32.1\/4","url":"\/32.1\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12727,"edition_id":1,"name":"Health","identifier":"32.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","permalink":{"id":201099,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12727,"identifier":"32.1","token":"32.1","url":"\/32.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":74269,"structure_id":13671,"section_number":"32.1-111.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/32.1-111.1\/","token":"32.1\/4\/2.1\/32.1-111.1","metadata":false},{"id":85093,"structure_id":13671,"section_number":"32.1-111.10","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/32.1-111.10\/","token":"32.1\/4\/2.1\/32.1-111.10","metadata":false},{"id":59561,"structure_id":13671,"section_number":"32.1-111.12","catch_line":"Virginia Rescue Squads Assistance Fund; 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reimbursement; validation of prior advances","url":"\/32.1-111.14_4\/","token":"32.1\/4\/2.1\/32.1-111.14_4","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":65685,"structure_id":13671,"section_number":"32.1-111.14:6","catch_line":"Supervision and control of joint services of emergency medical services agencies","url":"\/32.1-111.14_6\/","token":"32.1\/4\/2.1\/32.1-111.14_6","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/32.1-111.14:5\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2015. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 502<\/a> and 503<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":[{"id":80052,"section_number":"32.1-111.14:7","catch_line":"Penalty for disobeying emergency medical services agency chief or other officer in command","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-111.14_7\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":74017,"section_number":"10.1-1100","catch_line":"Department of Forestry; appointment of the State Forester","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1100\/"},{"id":65685,"section_number":"32.1-111.14:6","catch_line":"Supervision and control of joint services of emergency medical services agencies","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-111.14_6\/"},{"id":75137,"section_number":"46.2-888","catch_line":"Stopping on highways; removing motor vehicle from roadway","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-888\/"},{"id":67800,"section_number":"46.2-891","catch_line":"Exemption for highway construction and maintenance vehicles","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-891\/"}],"permalink":{"id":202555,"object_type":"law","relational_id":58628,"identifier":"32.1-111.14:5","token":"32.1\/4\/2.1\/32.1-111.14_5","url":"\/32.1-111.14_5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/32.1-111.14_5\/","token":"32.1\/4\/2.1\/32.1-111.14_5","dublin_core":{"Title":"Authority of emergency medical services agency incident commander when operating at an emergency incident; penalty for refusal to obey orders","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 32.1-111.14:5","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Except as provided in \u00a7 32.1-111.14:6<\/a>, while any emergency medical services<\/span> personnel<\/span> are in the process of operating at an emergency incident where there is imminent danger and when emergency medical services<\/span> personnel<\/span> are returning to the emergency medical services<\/span> agency<\/span>, the incident commander of such emergency medical services<\/span> agency<\/span> at that time shall have the authority to (i) maintain order<\/span> at such emergency incident or its vicinity, (ii) direct the actions of emergency medical services<\/span> personnel<\/span> at the incident, (iii) notwithstanding the provisions of \u00a7\u00a7 46.2-888<\/a> through 46.2-891<\/a>, keep bystanders or other persons<\/span> at a safe distance from the incident and emergency equipment, (iv) facilitate the speedy movement and operation of emergency equipment and emergency medical services<\/span> personnel<\/span>, and (v) until the arrival of a police officer, direct and control traffic in person<\/span> or by deputy and facilitate the movement of traffic. The emergency medical services<\/span> agency<\/span> incident commander shall display his emergency medical services<\/span> personnel<\/span>’s badge or other proper means of identification. Notwithstanding any other provision of law<\/span>, this authority shall extend to the activation of traffic control signals designed to facilitate the safe egress and ingress of emergency equipment at an emergency medical services<\/span> agency<\/span>. Any person<\/span> refusing to obey the orders<\/span> of the emergency medical services<\/span> incident commander at that time is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor<\/span>. The authority granted under the provisions of this section may not be exercised to inhibit or obstruct members of law<\/span>-enforcement agencies or fire departments<\/span> or fire companies from performing their normal duties when operating at such emergency incident, nor to conflict with or diminish the lawful authority, duties, and responsibilities of forest wardens, including but not limited to the provisions of Chapter 11 (\u00a7 10.1-1100<\/a> et seq.) of Title 10.1. Personnel from the news media, such as the press, radio, and television, when gathering the news may enter at their own risk into the incident area only when the incident commander has deemed the area safe and only into those areas of the incident that do not, in the opinion<\/span> of the incident commander, interfere with the emergency medical services<\/span> personnel<\/span> dealing with such emergencies, in which case the emergency medical services<\/span> incident commander may order<\/span> such person<\/span> from the scene of the emergency incident.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nAUTHORITY OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCY INCIDENT COMMANDER WHEN OPERATING\nAT AN EMERGENCY INCIDENT; PENALTY FOR REFUSAL TO OBEY ORDERS (\u00a7 32.1-111.14:5)\n\nExcept as provided in \u00a7 32.1-111.14:6, while any emergency medical services\npersonnel are in the process of operating at an emergency incident where there\nis imminent danger and when emergency medical services personnel are returning\nto the emergency medical services agency, the incident commander of such\nemergency medical services agency at that time shall have the authority to (i)\nmaintain order at such emergency incident or its vicinity, (ii) direct the\nactions of emergency medical services personnel at the incident, (iii)\nnotwithstanding the provisions of \u00a7\u00a7 46.2-888 through 46.2-891, keep\nbystanders or other persons at a safe distance from the incident and emergency\nequipment, (iv) facilitate the speedy movement and operation of emergency\nequipment and emergency medical services personnel, and (v) until the arrival of\na police officer, direct and control traffic in person or by deputy and\nfacilitate the movement of traffic. The emergency medical services agency\nincident commander shall display his emergency medical services\npersonnel’s badge or other proper means of identification. Notwithstanding\nany other provision of law, this authority shall extend to the activation of\ntraffic control signals designed to facilitate the safe egress and ingress of\nemergency equipment at an emergency medical services agency. Any person refusing\nto obey the orders of the emergency medical services incident commander at that\ntime is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. The authority granted under the\nprovisions of this section may not be exercised to inhibit or obstruct members\nof law-enforcement agencies or fire departments or fire companies from\nperforming their normal duties when operating at such emergency incident, nor to\nconflict with or diminish the lawful authority, duties, and responsibilities of\nforest wardens, including but not limited to the provisions of Chapter 11 (\u00a7\n10.1-1100 et seq.) of Title 10.1. Personnel from the news media, such as the\npress, radio, and television, when gathering the news may enter at their own\nrisk into the incident area only when the incident commander has deemed the area\nsafe and only into those areas of the incident that do not, in the opinion of\nthe incident commander, interfere with the emergency medical services personnel\ndealing with such emergencies, in which case the emergency medical services\nincident commander may order such person from the scene of the emergency\nincident.\n\nHISTORY: 2015, cc. 502, 503.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}