Emergency Services

Abstract

Various different services, under the auspices of public authorities, have been created to respond to emergencies. Some, such as fire and ambulance services, are provided pursuant to statute. Others, such as coast-guards, are not. This chapter considers the potential liability in tort of these various services. As we shall see, the existence, or otherwise, of a statutory framework covering the emergency service does not affect the scope of the common law duties of care it owes (with the possible exception of the ambulance service), and essentially the same principles apply regardless of the statutory framework. There are, however, significant differences between the way the courts treat the various emergency services, and these differences, and the reasons for them, are examined throughout the course of this chapter.