SB 549

This bill requires public safety answering points to provide, in appropriate

circumstances, telephonic assistance on administering cardiopulmonary

resuscitation. The bill also requires the Department of Military Affairs to distribute

grants for the purpose of training dispatchers to provide telephonic assistance on

administering CPR.

Under the bill, every public safety answering point must either 1) have

dispatchers certified in CPR and trained to provide, using an evidence-based

protocol, telephonic instruction on administering CPR to a person who has called 911

and provide continuing education on that protocol; or 2) transfer callers to a

dedicated telephone line, telephone center, or another public safety answering point

that will provide the caller with assistance on administering CPR. If transferring

callers, the public safety answering point must use an evidence-based protocol for

the identification of a person in need of CPR, provide appropriate training and

continuing education, and ensure that any dedicated telephone line, telephone

center, or public safety answering point to which calls are transferred uses

dispatchers that have the appropriate training to provide telephone assistance on

administering CPR. The bill also requires every public safety answering point to

conduct ongoing quality assurance of its dispatcher assisted bystander CPR

program.

Finally, the bill requires DMA to distribute grants to public safety answering

points that employ one or more dispatchers that have not completed training as

described in the bill. A grant recipient must use grant moneys to provide the required

dispatcher training in telephonic assistance on administering CPR. The bill

authorizes DMA to request, during the 2017-19 fiscal biennium, supplemental

funding from the Joint Committee on Finance and requires DMA to include in its

2019-21 biennial budget request a proposal for additional funding to provide grants

under this program.