| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to emergency dispatchers; creating s. |
| 3 | 401.465, F.S.; providing definitions; requiring the |
| 4 | Department of Health to establish criteria for the |
| 5 | certification of 911 emergency dispatchers; providing |
| 6 | requirements for certification; requiring the department |
| 7 | to determine if an applicant meets the requirements for |
| 8 | certification; requiring the department to establish a |
| 9 | procedure for certificate renewal; providing for the |
| 10 | expiration and renewal of certificates; authorizing the |
| 11 | department to suspend or revoke a certificate; providing |
| 12 | that a certificateholder may request inactivation of his |
| 13 | or her certification; providing requirements for renewing |
| 14 | an inactive certificate; providing fees for original |
| 15 | application and renewal of a certificate; requiring that |
| 16 | fees be deposited in a trust fund and used for specified |
| 17 | purposes; providing for replacement of a lost or destroyed |
| 18 | certificate; requiring the department to issue a |
| 19 | replacement certificate under certain circumstances; |
| 20 | providing an effective date. |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 23 |
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| 24 | Section 1. Section 401.465, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 25 | to read: |
| 26 | 401.465 911 emergency dispatcher certification.-- |
| 27 | (1) DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section, the term: |
| 28 | (a) "911 emergency dispatcher" means a person employed by |
| 29 | a state agency or local government as a public safety dispatcher |
| 30 | or 911 operator whose duties and responsibilities include |
| 31 | answering 911 calls; dispatching law enforcement officers, fire |
| 32 | rescue services, emergency medical services, and other public |
| 33 | safety services to the scene of an emergency; providing real- |
| 34 | time information from federal, state, and local crime databases; |
| 35 | or supervising or serving as the command officer to a person or |
| 36 | persons having such duties and responsibilities. However, the |
| 37 | term does not include administrative support personnel, |
| 38 | including, but not limited to, those whose primary duties and |
| 39 | responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing, legal, and |
| 40 | personnel. |
| 41 | (b) "Department" means the Department of Health. |
| 42 | (2) PERSONNEL; STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION.-- |
| 43 | (a) The department shall establish by rule educational and |
| 44 | training criteria for the certification and recertification of |
| 45 | 911 emergency dispatchers. Such rules must include, but need not |
| 46 | be limited to, the following requirements: |
| 47 | 1. Any person who desires to be certified or recertified |
| 48 | as a 911 emergency dispatcher shall apply to the department |
| 49 | under oath on forms provided by the department which shall |
| 50 | contain such information as the department reasonably requires |
| 51 | and may include affirmative evidence of the applicant's ability |
| 52 | to comply with applicable laws and rules. |
| 53 | 2. The department shall determine whether the applicant |
| 54 | meets the requirements specified in this section and in rules of |
| 55 | the department and shall issue a certificate to any person who |
| 56 | meets such requirements. |
| 57 | (b) An applicant for certification or recertification as a |
| 58 | 911 emergency dispatcher shall: |
| 59 | 1. Have completed an appropriate 911 emergency dispatcher |
| 60 | training program that is equivalent to the most recently |
| 61 | approved emergency dispatcher course of the Department of |
| 62 | Education and that consists of not less than 208 hours; |
| 63 | 2. Certify under oath that he or she is not addicted to |
| 64 | alcohol or any controlled substance; |
| 65 | 3. Certify under oath that he or she is free from any |
| 66 | physical or mental defect or disease that might impair the |
| 67 | applicant's ability to perform his or her duties; |
| 68 | 4. Submit the application fee prescribed in subsection |
| 69 | (3); and |
| 70 | 5. Submit a completed application to the department which |
| 71 | indicates compliance with subparagraphs 1., 2., and 3. |
| 72 | (c) The department shall establish by rule a procedure for |
| 73 | the biennial renewal certification of 911 emergency dispatchers. |
| 74 | (d) Each 911 emergency dispatcher certificate expires |
| 75 | automatically if not renewed and may be renewed if the holder |
| 76 | meets the qualifications for renewal as established by the |
| 77 | department. A certificate that is not renewed at the end of the |
| 78 | 2-year period automatically reverts to an inactive status for a |
| 79 | period that may not exceed 180 days. Such certificate may be |
| 80 | reactivated and renewed within the 180-day period if the |
| 81 | certificateholder meets all other qualifications for renewal and |
| 82 | pays a $50 late fee. Reactivation shall be in a manner and on |
| 83 | forms prescribed by department rule. |
| 84 | (e) The department may suspend or revoke a certificate at |
| 85 | any time if it determines that the certificateholder does not |
| 86 | meet the applicable qualifications. |
| 87 | (f) A certificateholder may request that his or her 911 |
| 88 | emergency dispatcher certificate be placed on inactive status by |
| 89 | applying to the department before his or her current |
| 90 | certification expires and paying a fee set by the department |
| 91 | which may not exceed $100. |
| 92 | 1. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on |
| 93 | inactive status for 1 year or less may renew his or her |
| 94 | certificate pursuant to the rules adopted by the department and |
| 95 | upon payment of a renewal fee set by the department which may |
| 96 | not exceed $100. |
| 97 | 2. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on |
| 98 | inactive status for more than 1 year may renew his or her |
| 99 | certificate pursuant to rules adopted by the department. |
| 100 | 3. A certificate that has been inactive for more than 6 |
| 101 | years automatically expires and may not be renewed. |
| 102 | (3) FEES.-- |
| 103 | (a) The fee for application for the 911 emergency |
| 104 | dispatcher original certificate is $75. |
| 105 | (b) The application fee for the 911 emergency dispatcher |
| 106 | biennial renewal certificate is $100. |
| 107 | (c) Fees collected under this section shall be deposited |
| 108 | into the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund and used solely |
| 109 | for salaries and expenses of the department incurred in |
| 110 | administering this section. |
| 111 | (d) If a certificate issued under this section is lost or |
| 112 | destroyed, the person to whom the certificate was issued may, |
| 113 | upon payment of a fee set by the department which may not exceed |
| 114 | $25, obtain a duplicate or substitute certificate. |
| 115 | (e) Upon surrender of the original 911 emergency |
| 116 | dispatcher certificate and receipt of a replacement fee set by |
| 117 | the department which may not exceed $25, the department shall |
| 118 | issue a replacement certificate to make a change in name. |
| 119 | Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2008. |