§ 28-25b — Public safety answering points. Automatic alarms or alerting devices. Private safety answering points. Report. Emergency medical dispatch.

Connecticut § 28-25b

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 28: Civil Preparedness and Emergency Services
• Ch. 518a: Emergency Telecommunications

Text

(a) Each public safety answering point shall be capable of transmitting requests for law enforcement, fire fighting, medical, ambulance or other emergency services to a public or private safety agency that provides the requested services. (b) Each public safety answering point shall be equipped with a system approved by the division for the processing of requests for emergency services from the physically disabled. (c) No person shall connect to a telephone company's network any automatic alarm or other automatic alerting device which causes the number “9-1-1” to be automatically dialed and provides a prerecorded message in order to directly access emergency services, except for a device approved by the division. (d) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, no person, firm or corporation shall program any telephone or associated equipment with outgoing access to the public switched network of a telephone company so as to prevent a 9-1-1 call from being transmitted from such telephone to a public safety answering point. (e) A private company, corporation or institution which has full-time law enforcement, fire fighting and emergency medical service personnel, with the approval of the division and the municipality in which it is located, may establish 9-1-1 service to enable users of telephones within their private branch exchange to reach a private safety answering point by dialing or otherwise accessing the digits “9-1-1”. Such 9-1-1 service shall provide the capability to deliver and display automatic number identification and automatic location identification by electronic or manual methods approved by the division to the private safety answering point. Prior to the installation and utilization of such 9-1-1 service, each municipality in which it will function, shall submit a private branch exchange 9-1-1 utilization plan to the division in a format approved by the division. Such plan shall be approved by the chief executive officer of such municipality who shall attest that the dispatch of emergency response services from a private safety answering point is equal to, or better than, the emergency response services dispatched from a public safety answering point. (f) On and after January 1, 2001, each public safety answering point shall submit to the division, on a quarterly basis, a report of all 9-1-1 calls for services received through the enhanced 9-1-1 service and the next generation 9-1-1 telecommunication system by the public safety answering point. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the following information: (1) The number of 9-1-1 calls during the reporting quarter; and (2) for each such call, the elapsed time period from the time the call was received to the time the call was answered, and the elapsed time period from the time the call was answered to the time the call was transferred or terminated, expressed in time ranges or fractile response times. The information required under this subsection may be submitted in any written or electronic form selected by such public safety answering point and approved by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, provided the commissioner shall take into consideration the needs of such public safety answering point in approving such written or electronic form. On a quarterly basis, the division shall make such information available to the public and shall post such information on its Internet web site. (g) (1) Not later than July 1, 2004, each public safety answering point shall provide emergency medical dispatch, or shall arrange for emergency medical dispatch to be provided by a public safety agency, private safety agency or regional emergency telecommunications center, in connection with all 9-1-1 calls received by such public safety answering point for which emergency medical services are required. Any public safety answering point that arranges for emergency medical dispatch to be provided by a public safety agency, private safety agency or regional emergency telecommunications center shall file with the division such documentation as the division may require to demonstrate that such public safety agency, private safety agency or regional emergency telecommunications center satisfies the requirements of subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection. (2) Each public safety answering point, public safety agency, private safety agency or regional emergency telecommunications center performing emergency medical dispatch in accordance with subdivision (1) of this subsection shall establish and maintain an emergency medical dispatch program. Such program shall include, but not be limited to, the following elements: (A) Medical interrogation, dispatch prioritization and prearrival instructions in connection with 9-1-1 calls requiring emergency medical services shall be provided only by personnel who have been trained in emergency medical dispatch through satisfactory completion of a training course provided or approved by the division under subdivision (3) of this subsection; (B) a medically approved emergency medical dispatch priority reference system shall be utilized by such personnel; (C) emergency medical dispatch continuing education shall be provided for such personnel; (D) a mechanism shall be employed to detect and correct discrepancies between established emergency medical dispatch protocols and actual emergency medical dispatch practice; and (E) a quality assurance component shall be implemented to monitor, at a minimum, (i) emergency medical dispatch time intervals, (ii) the utilization of emergency medical dispatch program components, and (iii) the appropriateness of emergency medical dispatch instructions and dispatch protocols. The quality assurance component shall be prepared with the assistance of a physician licensed in this state who is trained in emergency medicine and shall provide for an ongoing review of the effectiveness of the emergency medical dispatch program. (3) Not later than July 1, 2001, the division shall provide an emergency medical dispatch training course and an emergency medical dispatch continuing education course, or approve any emergency medical dispatch training course and emergency medical dispatch continuing education course offered by other providers, that meets the requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD): National Standard Curriculum, as from time to time amended. (4) The division shall provide each public safety answering point or regional emergency telecommunications center performing emergency medical dispatch in accordance with subdivision (1) of this subsection with initial training of emergency medical dispatch personnel and an emergency medical dispatch priority reference card set.

Legislative History

(P.A. 84-416, S. 3, 15; P.A. 89-118, S. 1; P.A. 91-360, S. 2, 4; P.A. 93-206, S. 8, 16; P.A. 00-151, S. 8, 14; P.A. 06-195, S. 57; P.A. 11-51, S. 134; P.A. 16-150, S. 4.) History: P.A. 89-118 added a new Subsec. (d), prohibiting the programming of any telephone so as to prevent the transmission of a 9-1-1 call to a public safety answering point; P.A. 91-360 added a new Subsec. (e), permitting private companies, corporations or institutions which have full-time security, fire and emergency medical service personnel to establish 9-1-1 service to enable users of telephones within such companies or institutions to reach a private safety answering point, and amended Subsec. (d) to add an exception for provisions of Subsec. (e); P.A. 93-206 amended Subsecs. (b), (c) and (e) to substitute “office” for “bureau”, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 00-151 added new Subsecs. (f) and (g) re information reporting and emergency medical dispatch, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 06-195 amended Subsec. (f) by requiring public safety answering points to report all calls for services received through 9-1-1 system, by deleting provision re medical emergency in Subdiv. (1), by revising reporting requirements re elapsed time period of calls in Subdiv. (2) and by deleting provision requiring quarterly submission of information to Commissioner of Public Health, effective June 7, 2006; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” in Subsec. (f), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 16-150 amended Subsecs. (b), (c) and (e) to (g) by replacing “office” with “division”, further amended Subsec. (c) by deleting “and required by a physically disabled person to access a public safety answering point”, further amended Subsec. (e) by adding “or otherwise accessing”, further amended Subsec. (f) by adding reference to enhanced 9-1-1 service and next generation 9-1-1 telecommunication system, and made technical and conforming changes. Cited. 223 C. 731.