314                              Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 126

No member state or its officers or employees rendering outside aid
pursuant to this compact shall be liable on account of any act or omis-
sion on the part of such forces while so engaged, or on account of
the maintenance or use of any equipment or supplies in connection
therewith.

All liability, except as otherwise provided hereinafter, that may
arise either under the laws of the requesting state or under the laws
of the aiding state or under the laws of a third state on account of or
in connection with a request for aid, shall be assumed and borne by
the requesting state.

Any member state rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact
shall be reimbursed by the member state receiving such aid for any
loss or damage to, or expense incurred in the operation of any equip-
ment answering a request for aid, and for the cost of all materials,
transportation, wages, salaries, and maintenance of employees and
equipment incurred in connection with such request: provided, that
nothing herein contained shall prevent any assisting member state
from assuming such loss, damage, expense or other cost or from loan-
ing such equipment or from donating such services to the receiving
member state without charge or cost.

Each member state shall provide for the payment of compensation
and death benefits to injured employees and the representatives of
deceased employees in case employees sustain injuries or are killed
while rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact, in the same
manner and on the same terms as if the injury or death were sus-
tained within such state.

For the purposes of this compact the term "employee" shall in-
clude any volunteer or auxiliary legally included within the forest
fire fighting forces of the aiding state under the laws thereof.

The compact administrators shall formulate procedures for claims
and reimbursement under the provisions of this Article, in accord-
ance with the laws of the member states.

Article VI

Nothing in this compact shall be construed to authorize or permit
any member state to curtail or diminish its forest fire fighting forces,
equipment, services or facilities, and it shall be the duty and respon-
sibility of each member state to maintain adequate forest fire fighting
forces and equipment to meet demands for forest fire protection
within its borders in the same manner and to the same extent as
if this compact were not operative.

Nothing in this compact shall be construed to limit or restrict the
powers of any state ratifying the same to provide for the prevention,
control and extinguishment of forest fires, or to prohibit the bnact-
ment or enforcement of state laws, rules or regulations intended to
aid in such prevention, control and extinguishment in such state.

Nothing in this compact shall be construed to affect any existing
or future cooperative relationship or arrangement between the
United States States Forest Service and a member state or states.

Article VII

The compact administrators may request the United States Forest
Service to act as the primary research and coordinating agency of