As used in this part, the term:

(1) "Commission" means the Georgia State Indemnification Commission.

(2) "Emergency management rescue specialist" means any person licensed as an emergency management rescue specialist pursuant to Code Section 38-3-36.

(3) "Emergency medical technician" includes only persons who:

(A) Are certified as emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or cardiac technicians under Chapter 11 of Title 31; and

(B) Are employed in the capacity for which they are so certified by a department, agency, authority, or other instrumentality of state or local government.

(4)(A) "Fireman" means any person who is employed as a professional firefighter on a full-time basis of at least 40 hours per week by any municipal, county, or state government fire department employing three or more firemen and who has the responsibility of preventing and suppressing fires, protecting life and property, enforcing municipal, county, and state fire prevention codes, enforcing any law pertaining to the prevention and control of fires or who performs any acts or actions while on duty or when responding to a fire or emergency during any fire or other emergency or while performing duties intended to protect life and property.

(B) "Fireman" shall also mean any individual serving as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized volunteer fire department who performs any acts or actions while on duty or when responding to a fire or emergency during any fire or other emergency or while performing duties intended to protect life and property.

(C) "Fireman" shall also mean any individual employed by a person or corporation which has a contract with a municipal corporation or county to provide fire prevention and fire-fighting services to such municipal corporation or county and any such individual is employed on a full-time basis of at least 40 hours per week and has the responsibility of preventing and suppressing fires, protecting life and property, enforcing municipal or county fire prevention codes, enforcing any municipal or county ordinances pertaining to the prevention and control of fires or who performs any acts or actions while on duty or when responding to a fire or emergency during any fire or other emergency or while performing duties intended to protect life and property.

(5) "In the line of duty" means:

(A) With respect to an emergency medical technician, while on duty and when responding to or returning from an emergency or performing duties at the scene of an emergency or transporting a person to a medical facility for emergency treatment or returning therefrom; (B) With respect to a fireman, while on duty and when responding to or returning from a fire or other emergency or performing duties during any fire or other emergency or performing duties intended to protect life and property;

(C) With respect to a law enforcement officer or fireman, while on duty and performing services for and receiving compensation from the law enforcement and fire service agency which employs such officer or fireman, while off duty when responding to any situation which would save a life or preserve the peace, or while preventing or attempting to prevent the commission of a crime or fire. A law enforcement officer or fireman who is performing duties for and receiving compensation from a private employer at the time of such officer's or fireman's death or bodily injury causing permanent disability shall not be considered in the line of duty unless the officer or fireman has left the scope of his or her employment for the private employer for the direct purpose of enforcing or attempting to enforce fire service, the criminal or traffic laws, preserving or attempting to preserve public order, protecting or attempting to protect life or property, performing active state service as a member of the Georgia National Guard, preventing or attempting to prevent a crime, detecting or attempting to detect crime, or investigating or attempting to investigate crime. The determination that a law enforcement officer or fireman was killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty and is entitled to indemnification pursuant to this part shall not be considered in the determination of the entitlement of such officer to workers' compensation, disability, health, or other benefits from such officer's or fireman's public or private employer; or

(D) With respect to a prison guard, while on duty and performing services for and receiving compensation from the public agency which employs such prison guard.

(6) "Law enforcement officer" means any agent or officer of this state, or a political subdivision or municipality thereof, who, as a full-time or part-time employee, is vested either expressly by law or by virtue of public employment or service with authority to enforce the criminal or traffic laws and whose duties include the preservation of public order, the protection of life and property, or the prevention, detection, or investigation of crime. Such term also includes the employees designated by the commissioner of juvenile justice of the Department of Juvenile Justice pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (i) of Code Section 49-4A-8, which employees have the duty to investigate and apprehend delinquent and unruly children who have escaped from a facility under the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Justice or who have broken the conditions of supervision. With respect to periods of time prior to July 1, 2001, such term also includes employees designated and delegated law enforcement powers by the Public Service Commission pursuant to Code Sections 46-7-28 and 46-11-6, which personnel have the duty to enforce the laws relating to motor carriers and the transportation of hazardous materials; and on and after July 1, 2001, such term also includes law enforcement officers of the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety. Such term also includes members of the Georgia National Guard, the composition of which is set forth in Code Section 38-2-3, who have been called into active state service by the Governor. (7) "Permanent disability" means disability due to:

(A) Loss of both eyes or blindness in both eyes with only light perception;

(B) Loss or loss of use of both hands;

(C) Loss or loss of use of both legs;

(D) Loss of a lower extremity or residuals of organic disease or injury which so affect the functions of balance or propulsion as to preclude locomotion without resort to a wheelchair; or

(E) Organic brain damage resulting from direct physical trauma incurred after January 1, 1973, which so affects the mental capacity as to preclude ability to function productively in any employment.

(8) "Prison guard" means any person employed by the state or any political subdivision thereof whose principal duties relate to the supervision and incarceration of persons accused or convicted of the violation of the criminal laws of this state or any political subdivision thereof. Such term shall also mean any probation supervisor or parole officer who is required to be certified under Chapter 8 of Title 35, the "Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Act," and whose principal duties directly relate to the supervision of adult probationers or adult parolees. Such term also means any person employed by the state or any political subdivision thereof whose principal duties include the supervision of youth who are charged with or adjudicated for an act which if committed by adults would be considered a crime.