Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 8; Title 29; Title 39; Title 58 and Title 63.

This bill extends the present law immunity for first responders in responding to emergency calls to include emergency call takers and public safety dispatchers.<br /> <br /> This bill adds emergency services personnel, emergency call takers, and public safety dispatchers to the types of first responder occupations for which the state insurance committee or a local government may offer or continue to provide health insurance benefits to the surviving spouse and children, including any unborn child, if the first responder is killed in the line of duty for a period not to exceed two years after the death of the first responder.<br /> <br /> This bill also revises and adds to the provisions governing emergency communication districts (ECD), as follows:<br /> <br /> (1) Under present law, the board of directors of a district must create an emergency communications service capable of utilizing at least one of the following three methods in response to emergency calls: direct dispatch method, relay method, or transfer method. This bill applies the present law provision to non-emergency calls and requires, prior to January 1, 2023, the ECD to utilize the direct dispatch method in response to emergency calls; this revision will not apply to a district with more than 300 employees until January 1, 2024;<br /> <br /> (2) Under present law, each public safety emergency services provider retains the right to dispatch its own services, unless a voluntary agreement is made between the provider and the board of directors of the ECD. This bill specifies that such provider retains the right to dispatch its own "non-emergency services" unless voluntarily agreed upon between provider and board of directors;<br /> <br /> (3) Under present law, a service supplier is not required to provide 911 service if the equipment for such service is not available. This bill specifies that a service supplier is not required to provide 911 "non-emergency service" if equipment for such is not available; and <br /> <br /> (4) This bill requires that all emergency 911 calls, with the exception of misrouted calls, be dispatched by the initial public service answering point without being transferred and provides the dispatcher with discretion to transfer non-emergency calls via attended transfer. "Attended transfer" means the dispatcher taking one call, without placing the caller on hold, and initiating another call to confirm the end destination or third party is prepared for the call so that both calls can be merged.<br />