| Chapter 083 |
| 2021 -- S 0385 AS AMENDED Enacted 06/23/2021 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- 911 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER ACT |
Introduced By: Senator Maryellen Goodwin |
| Date Introduced: February 25, 2021 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 39-21.1-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-21.1 entitled "911 |
| Emergency Telephone Number Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 39-21.1-8. Emergency services included in system. |
| (a) The 911 system shall be capable of transmitting requests for law enforcement, |
| firefighting, and emergency medical and ambulance services to a public safety agency or agencies |
| that provide the requested service at the place where the call originates. In response to requests for |
| emergency medical or ambulance services, the 911 system dispatchers shall also provide for the |
| communication of instructions to callers during the period before the arrival of emergency |
| responders. By September 1, 2022, the A 911 system shall include telecommunicator |
| cardiopulmonary resuscitation ("T-CPR"), provided by certified emergency medical dispatchers |
| (EMD) who have satisfactorily completed a training course 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, and any |
| other requirements pursuant to ยง 23-4.1-3(c). The 911 system may also provide for transmittal of |
| requests for other emergency services, such as poison control, suicide prevention, and civil defense. |
| Conferencing capability with counseling, aid to persons with disabilities, and other services as |
| deemed necessary for emergency response determination may be provided by the 911 system. |
| (b) Any unit of any agency or municipality in this state that provides law enforcement, |
| firefighting, medical, or ambulance services to an area shall be part of the 911 system. The 911 |
| public safety answering point may transmit emergency response requests to private safety agencies. |
| (c) Automatic intrusion alarms and other automatic alerting devices shall not be installed |
| so as to cause the number 911 to be dialed in order to directly access emergency services. |
| (d) A comprehensive call review and quality improvement program including, but not |
| limited to, all cardiac arrest and critical calls as well as a random sampling of all calls from the |
| emergency telephone system shall be established. |
| (e) All 911 system dispatchers shall be certified in EMD and trained in telecommunicator |
| cardiopulmonary resuscitation ("T-CPR") to coach a person calling in about a cardiac arrest |
| incident until the rescue or other emergency service unit arrives. EMD continuing education shall |
| be provided for 911 system dispatchers. |
| (f) No 911 system operator who renders emergency assistance to a person in need thereof |
| shall be liable for civil damages which that result from acts or omissions by such the person |
| rendering the emergency care, which may constitute ordinary negligence. This immunity does not |
| apply to acts or omissions constituting gross negligence or willful or wanton conduct |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC002174 |
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