| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to 911 emergency dispatcher certification; |
| 3 | amending s. 401.465, F.S.; requiring any person serving as |
| 4 | a 911 emergency dispatcher to be certified by the |
| 5 | Department of Health on or after a specified date; |
| 6 | providing conditions under which a public safety agency |
| 7 | may employ a 911 emergency dispatcher trainee for a |
| 8 | limited period; providing clarifying language with respect |
| 9 | to certification or recertification as a 911 emergency |
| 10 | dispatcher; revising requirements for certification as a |
| 11 | 911 emergency dispatcher; providing an effective date. |
| 12 |
|
| 13 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 14 |
|
| 15 | Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 401.465, Florida |
| 16 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 17 | 401.465 911 emergency dispatcher certification.-- |
| 18 | (2) PERSONNEL; STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION.-- |
| 19 | (a) Effective October 1, 2012, any person serving as a 911 |
| 20 | emergency dispatcher must be certified by the department. |
| 21 | Notwithstanding this requirement, a public safety agency as |
| 22 | defined s. 365.171(3)(d) may employ a 911 emergency dispatcher |
| 23 | trainee for a period not to exceed 6 months, provided that the |
| 24 | trainee is under the direct supervision, as determined by rule |
| 25 | of the department, of a certified 911 emergency dispatcher with |
| 26 | a minimum of 2 years' experience. |
| 27 | (b)(a) An applicant Any person who desires to be certified |
| 28 | or recertified as a 911 emergency dispatcher must may apply to |
| 29 | the department under oath on forms provided by the department. |
| 30 | The department shall establish by rule educational and training |
| 31 | criteria for the certification and recertification of 911 |
| 32 | emergency dispatchers. Prior to October 1, 2012, any person who |
| 33 | desires to be certified or recertified as a 911 emergency |
| 34 | dispatcher may apply to the department as described in this |
| 35 | section. |
| 36 | (c)(b) The department shall determine whether the |
| 37 | applicant meets the requirements specified in this section and |
| 38 | in rules of the department and shall issue a certificate to any |
| 39 | person who meets such requirements. Such requirements must |
| 40 | include, but need not be limited to, the following: |
| 41 | 1. Completion of an appropriate 911 emergency dispatcher |
| 42 | training program that is equivalent to or more stringent than |
| 43 | the most recently approved emergency dispatcher course of the |
| 44 | Department of Education and consists of not less than 208 hours; |
| 45 | 2. Completion and documentation of at least 2 years of |
| 46 | supervised full-time employment as a 911 emergency dispatcher |
| 47 | since January 1, 2002; |
| 48 | 2.3. Certification under oath that the applicant is not |
| 49 | addicted to alcohol or any controlled substance; |
| 50 | 3.4. Certification under oath that the applicant is free |
| 51 | from any physical or mental defect or disease that might impair |
| 52 | the applicant's ability to perform his or her duties; |
| 53 | 4.5. Submission of the application fee prescribed in |
| 54 | subsection (3); and |
| 55 | 5.6. Submission of a completed application to the |
| 56 | department which indicates compliance with subparagraphs 1., 2., |
| 57 | 3., and 4. |
| 58 | (d)(c) The department shall establish by rule a procedure |
| 59 | for the biennial renewal certification of 911 emergency |
| 60 | dispatchers. |
| 61 | (e)(d) Each 911 emergency dispatcher certificate expires |
| 62 | automatically if not renewed at the end of the 2-year period and |
| 63 | may be renewed if the holder meets the qualifications for |
| 64 | renewal as established by the department. A certificate that is |
| 65 | not renewed at the end of the 2-year period automatically |
| 66 | reverts to an inactive status for a period that may not exceed |
| 67 | 180 days. Such certificate may be reactivated and renewed within |
| 68 | the 180-day period if the certificateholder meets all other |
| 69 | qualifications for renewal and pays a $50 late fee. Reactivation |
| 70 | shall be in a manner and on forms prescribed by department rule. |
| 71 | (f)(e) The department may suspend or revoke a certificate |
| 72 | at any time if it determines that the certificateholder does not |
| 73 | meet the applicable qualifications. |
| 74 | (g)(f) A certificateholder may request that his or her 911 |
| 75 | emergency dispatcher certificate be placed on inactive status by |
| 76 | applying to the department before his or her current |
| 77 | certification expires and paying a fee set by the department |
| 78 | which may not exceed $100. |
| 79 | 1. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on |
| 80 | inactive status for 1 year or less may renew his or her |
| 81 | certificate pursuant to the rules adopted by the department and |
| 82 | upon payment of a renewal fee set by the department which may |
| 83 | not exceed $100. |
| 84 | 2. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on |
| 85 | inactive status for more than 1 year may renew his or her |
| 86 | certificate pursuant to rules adopted by the department. |
| 87 | 3. A certificate that has been inactive for more than 6 |
| 88 | years automatically expires and may not be renewed. |
| 89 | (h)(g) The department shall establish by rule a procedure |
| 90 | for the initial certification of 911 emergency dispatchers as |
| 91 | defined in this section who have documentation of at least 5 |
| 92 | years of supervised full-time employment as a 911 emergency |
| 93 | dispatcher since January 1, 2002. |
| 94 | Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2009. |