2007 Minnesota Statutes

88.11 ASSISTANCE FOR FIGHTING FIRES.
    Subdivision 1. Firefighting personnel. At any time forest officers, with the approval of the
commissioner, may employ suitable persons to prevent and extinguish any fires. Each forest
officer so employed shall be supplied with the necessary equipment. The commissioner, or any
forest officer, may summon any person of the age of 18 years and upward to assist in stopping
any fire burning in the district under the care of such state employee and may incur any other
necessary and reasonable expense for this purpose, but shall promptly report the matter to the next
superior officer or other state employee over the forest officer.
    Subd. 2. Failure to assist; penalty; commandeered property. Any able-bodied person so
summoned who refuses or neglects or otherwise fails to assist in extinguishing such fire or who
fails to make all reasonable efforts to that end, until released by the summoning state employee,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. The forest officer shall have power to commandeer, for the time
being, equipment, tools, appliances, or other property in the possession of any person either
summoned to assist in extinguishing the fire or in the vicinity thereof, and to use, and to require
the persons summoned to use, the commandeered property in the fighting and extinguishing of the
fire. The owner of any property so commandeered shall be promptly paid just compensation for
the use thereof and all damages done to the commandeered property while in this use by the forest
officer from any money available for these expenses under sections 88.03 to 88.22.
History: (4031-16) 1925 c 407 s 16; 1967 c 146 s 8; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 49 s 2; 1993
c 328 s 20