Existing law, the Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act, requires every local public agency to establish within its jurisdiction a basic emergency telephone system that includes, at a minimum, police, firefighting, and emergency medical and ambulance services. Existing law authorizes a public agency to incorporate private ambulance service into the system.
This bill would prohibit a public agency from delegating, assigning, or contracting for “911” emergency call processing or notification duties regarding the dispatch of emergency response resources unless the delegation or assignment is to, or the contract or agreement is with, another public agency. The bill would further exempt from that prohibition a public agency that is a joint powers authority that
contracted for emergency response resources on or before January 1, 2019, under certain conditions. The bill would authorize a public agency that contracted for dispatch of emergency response resources on or before January 1, 2019, to continue that contract or to renegotiate or adopt new contracts if the public agency and the public safety agencies that provide prehospital emergency medical services consent. The bill would state the Legislature’s intent to affirm and clarify a public agency’s duty and authority to develop emergency communication procedures and respond quickly to a person seeking emergency services through the “911” emergency telephone system.
Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, authorizes each county to develop an emergency medical services (EMS) program and designate a
local EMS agency. Existing law delegates responsibility over the medical direction and management of an EMS system to the medical director of the local EMS agency, and requires the local EMS agency to maintain medical control over the EMS system in accordance with minimum standards established by the Emergency Medical Services Authority.
This bill would require a public safety agency that provides dispatch of prehospital emergency response resources to make a connection available from the public safety agency dispatch center to an EMS provider’s dispatch center, as specified. The bill would provide that the public safety agency is entitled to recover from an EMS provider the costs incurred in establishing and maintaining the connection. The bill would require all local EMS-agency-approved EMS providers and EMS system providers to be simultaneously notified and dispatched at the same
response code. The bill would also, unless the local EMS agency takes affirmative action to the contrary, deem a public safety agency’s plan to implement an EMD or advanced life support program to be approved within 60 days of submission if the plan satisfies state guidelines and regulations.
This bill would provide that medical control by a local EMS agency medical director or medical direction and management of an EMS system may not be construed to, among other things, limit the authority of a public safety agency to directly receive and administer “911” emergency requests originating within the agency’s territorial jurisdiction or authorize a local EMS agency to reduce a public safety agency’s response mode or deployment of emergency response resources within the agency’s territorial jurisdiction. The bill would also clarify that a
public safety agency does not transfer its authority to administer emergency medical services to a local EMS agency by consenting to conform its prehospital response to comply with an EMS dispatch protocol adhering to the policies, procedures, and protocols adopted by a local EMS agency.