Minnesota Statutes Public Safety (Ch. 299A-299N) § 299F.096. Duty to safeguard private information

Subdivision 1. Nonpublic data.Before a fire department and emergency response personnel may have access to information received undersection 299F.094, the department shall establish security procedures to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of nonpublic data. Nonpublic data must be made available in an emergency to emergency response personnel. No liability results undersections 299F.091to299F.099with respect to disclosure of nonpublic data if emergency response personnel, in response to an emergency, reasonably determine that the use or disclosure of the data is necessary to expedite medical services or to protect persons from imminent danger. As soon as practicable after disclosure of nonpublic data is made by emergency response personnel, the circumstances necessitating the disclosure and the actual or estimated extent of the disclosure must be described in writing by the personnel and provided to the employer.

Subd. 2. Classified information.When the notification required insection 299F.094involves classified information, the employer shall, without revealing the classified information, attempt to provide the local fire department with that information necessary to protect the department, emergency response personnel, and the public in an emergency. The employer is also responsible for requesting changes in the classification of classified information or declassification of that material when it is considered necessary by a local fire department in advance of an emergency to protect emergency response personnel or the public. An employer is not required to reveal classified information, except in an emergency, without prior governmental approval, and in an emergency, an employer shall disclose to emergency response personnel appropriate elements of classified information that are reasonably necessary to protect human life. An employer may choose to make classified information available to the local fire department or emergency response personnel if necessary for emergency preplanning purposes. In those cases, classified information (1) may be made available to a local fire department or emergency response personnel only after it has been demonstrated that the personnel intended to have access to the classified information meet access requirements applicable to the facilities and to personnel having access to classified information, and (2) must be protected from disclosure by the local fire department and emergency response personnel in accordance with applicable rules and statutes.