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Questions tagged [emergencies]

24 questions
48
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5 answers

Can a Resident Assistant be told to ignore a lawful order?'

Today I have an interesting question involving Police, Fire and university administration. A little bit of background: for the past few years, my University has been involved in a small, awkward cold war with local emergency responders over…
bracec
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What is the limit to my entering an unlocked home of a stranger to render aid without explicit permission

As I understand it in the USA if I, a normal citizen, walking by a stranger's home and witness them suddenly get electrocuted or otherwise seriously harmed I'm allowed to enter their home to try to render aid, even uninvited, since I have a…
dsollen
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Can a government in the US enforce administration of a drug onto a US citizen during a public health crisis?

Is there a law or a judgment from a Court in the United States wherein it is established that a government (at any level) in the US, during an officially declared public health crisis, can enforce administration of a drug/medical treatment onto a US…
Firelord
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15
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Statutory authority to order business to close their doors

In Maryland, Governor Hogan just ordered with "the full force of law" all restaurants, bars, movie theaters, gyms, etc. to close their doors to the public starting at 5 p.m. What is his statutory authority to do this? I've read the MEMA code (§ 14),…
John Chase
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14
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5 answers

Is calling emergency service for someone ever mandatory?

Is it ever mandatory to call the police or other emergency service for people? For example, say a friend has suicidal thoughts. Could you ever be breaking the law by not calling the police in such a situation?
The Editor
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Can I be charged for calling the police in Germany and then realising it’s not an emergency afterwards?

I am often home alone and live on the ground floor. I sleep on the second floor and sometimes I hear noises downstairs. Someone has once tried to break in. I would call 110 but I’m scared that if it’s a false alarm that they would send me to prison…
Emma Nocca
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How can I ensure I am contacted when a specific relative dies or is hospitalised?

I have an Uncle in declining years that lives a state or two away. Is there any protocol for having local emergency services call my cell should my Uncle be taken to hospital, becomes unconscious, passes away? I have spoken with him, know his…
paulj
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Would it be legal to shut down functionality on users phone?

This would be US jurisdiction, say NYC. Note this is a question about the law only; not a question about technical feasibility. Could Apple or Google of their own volition legally shut down functionality of users' phone, say photo or video…
paulj
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Is it ever legal for a company to instruct employees not to call 911?

First question, is it illegal to prevent someone from calling 911 in the event of an emergency? I'm assuming it is. I had an internship in large corporate buildings and have seen some weird things. On some phones it had a number to call for security…
smartman2
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Is it legally possible to bring an untested vaccine to market (in USA)?

Here Neil DeGrasse Tyson says there was testing and a system in place assuring the safe production of the new vaccines. He addresses people who have claimed there was no testing. That got me curious about the process so I did some research. Looking…
R. Romero
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Contours of a national emergency in the United States

Are there any 'bright lines' that prevent an administration (not just the current administration, but future administrations as well) from regularly resorting to the national security argument when it can not find congressional support for its…
gatorback
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What to do when an Ambulance can't pass you?

So here's the deal: Earlier I was driving on the highway to work, which currently is under construction work. Because of that, one of the two lanes is closed and the second one is slightly narrowed. There is no emergency lane either. Then their was…
Suimon
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Home warranty dropping the ball, during emergency situation. Any recourse?

I opened a ticket in December when my heater failed. I called my home warranty company(HWA), opened a claim and asked for someone to come out and fix it. They said it would be at least a week, because it wasn't cold enough to escalate it to an…
mreff555
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What rights do inmates have during natural disasters?

The water level behind Oroville Dam, CA, recently went way up due to heavy rain, and the rarely used "emergency spillway" was used for the first time in the dam's 50+ year life. It sustained significant damage and authorities tweeted out,…
WBT
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The Social Action Responsibility and Heroism Act (England and Wales)

Is there an equivalent law in SCOTLAND and NORTHERN IRELAND to The Social Action Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015 (England and Wales)?
David Smith
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