Empowers Operators to Seek Assistance Needed to Save Lives
Legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano that would enable 9-1-1 operators to quickly make additional requests for ambulatory service if the first call out for aid does not receive a timely response was released Monday by an Assembly committee.
The bill (A-1098) would establish a standard operating procedure for 9-1-1 dispatchers that requires them to call for mutual aid assistance within 10 minutes if the basic life support ambulance service provider initially contacted does not respond.
“From the moment a 9-1-1 dispatcher answers a call, every moment after that is valuable to saving the life of the person or persons on the other end,” said Quijano (D-Union). “Mere minutes can make the difference between life and death in a situation. If the first responder does not respond, there should be a second call ready to be made for back up.”
Under current law, the ambulance service provider initially called to an emergency must notify the dispatcher within 10 minutes. The dispatcher must issue at least one additional call at five minutes from the initial call to ensure the call was received. The bill would enable the dispatcher to concurrently contact a mutual aid basic life support ambulance on all emergency calls when an ambulance provider fails to respond to a dispatched call.
“If the dispatcher has access to mutual aid assistance, then time shouldn’t be wasted on waiting for a return call,” said Quijano. “This is a common sense bill that would support the professionals with a very important responsibility to the public.”
The bill was released by the Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee chaired by Quijano.