BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1564
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Date of Hearing: April 20, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Adam Gray, Chair
AB 1564
(Williams) - As Amended March 17, 2016
SUBJECT: Emergency services: wireless 911 calls: routing
SUMMARY: Requires the Office of Emergency Services (CalOES),
the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and county coordinators to
review the states routing of 911 calls. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Requires CalOES to take all necessary actions to maximize the
efficiency of the 911 system.
2)Requires CalOES to require its Public Safety Communications
Division to work with the CHP and county coordinators to
conduct an annual comprehensive statewide review and routing
decision making process to review call data on the routing of
911 cell phone traffic.
3)Authorizes a local fire, police, sheriff, or emergency medical
services agency, or a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), to
submit a written request for a review of a specific cell
sector, as specified.
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4)Requires CalOES to require its Public Safety Communications
Division to work with wireless carriers to verify that all
cell sector routing decisions, as specified, have been
implemented.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes CalOES by the Governor's Reorganization Plan No.2,
operative July 1, 2013.
2)Requires CalOES to perform a variety of duties with respect to
specified emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response
activities in the state, including emergency medical services.
3)Provides, under the Warren-911 Emergency Assistance Act
(Warren-911 Act), a local public agency to adopt a plan to
implement a 911 emergency telephone response system, and
establishes the State 911 Advisory Board.
4)Requires a provider of commercial mobile radio service to
provide access to the local emergency telephone systems
described in the Warren-911 Act and requires 911 to be the
primary access number for those emergency systems.
5)Requires a provider of commercial mobile radio service, in
accordance with all applicable Federal Communication
Commission orders, to transmit all 911 calls from
technologically compatible commercial mobile radio service
communication devices without requiring user validation or any
similar procedure.
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6)Prohibits a provider of commercial mobile radio service from
charging any airtime, access, or similar usage charge for any
911 call placed from a commercial mobile radio service
telecommunications device to a local emergency telephone
system.
7)Authorizes a 911 call from a commercial mobile radio service
telecommunications device to be routed to a PSAP other than
the CHP only if the alternate routing meets all of the
following requirements:
a) The 911 call originates from a location other than from
a freeway, under the jurisdiction of the CHP.
b) The alternate routing is economically and
technologically feasible.
c) The alternate routing will benefit public safety and
reduce burdens on dispatchers for the CHP.
d) The CHP, Cal OES, and the proposed alternate PSAP, in
consultation with the wireless industry, providers of 911
selective routing service, and local law enforcement
officials, determine that it is in the best interest of the
public and will provide more effective emergency service to
the public to route 911 calls that do not originate from a
freeway under the jurisdiction of the CHP to another PSAP.
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FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
Purpose of the bill : According to the author, it is imperative
that the State of California perform a review of its 911
emergency communications system policies and procedures, to make
changes that reflect technology available now and in the near
future, and to make plans to improve the 911 system in order to
protect lives. The author states, "When someone calls 911,
every second counts and it is alarming that, in an age where
cell phones are so prevalent in our society, our 911 systems are
not able to pinpoint a callers location. We need to fix our
systems so no more lives are lost to senseless delays."
Background : In 1973, the Legislature passed the Warren-911 Act,
which established California's 911 emergency telephone response
system. Before the Warren-911 Act, the state had thousands of
different emergency phone numbers, and its telephone exchange
boundaries and central offices service areas were not designed
to consider public safety and political boundaries. The
Warren-911 Act provided for a single, primary three-digit
emergency number through which emergency service could be
quickly and efficiently obtained, making it less difficult for
law enforcement and other public service personal to locate and
provide emergency services.
When the Warren-911 Act was enacted, 911 emergency calls were
made primarily on landlines. A call would be routed to a PSAP
and the dispatcher would dispatch emergency services to the
location accordingly. As mobile phones were introduced, mobile
911 calls were routed to a CHP dispatch, because most early
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mobile phones were in cars and the assumption was that calls
being made from a mobile device were primarily to report issues
on roadways. As mobile devices became more common, and the use
of landlines decreased, more 911 calls were being made from
mobile devices then landlines. By 2015, 25 million 911 calls
were being made each year and 80% of those calls were coming
from mobile devices. Currently, California has approximately 458
PSAPs, which handle 51% of the states 911 calls, while 25 CHP
PSAPs handle the remaining 49%.
CalOES : The Public Safety Communications Office within CalOES
administers the state 911 system, reviews local PSAPs' 911
equipment and operations, and reimburses their reasonable costs
for planning, implementation, and maintenance of approved 911
systems. In 2013, this office was transferred from the
California Technology Agency to CalOES as part of budget action.
The California Emergency Number Association represents the
state's PSAPs and provides research, planning, and training to
support 911 dispatchers and the state 911 system. A state 911
Advisory Board advises CalOES on operation, funding, and
long-range planning for PSAPs and the state 911
911 Wireless Routing : There are approximately 300,000 wireless
antennas in California. Under current law, 911 calls from a
mobile device may be routed to a PSAP other than the CHP if the
alternate routing meets all of the following requirements:
a) The 911 call originates from a location other than from
a freeway;
b) The alternate routing is economically and
technologically feasible;
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c) The alternate routing will benefit public safety and
reduce burdens on CHP dispatchers; and
d) The CHP, Cal OES, and the proposed alternate PSAP, in
consultation with the wireless industry, providers of 911
selective routing service, and local law enforcement
officials, determine that it is in the best interest of the
public and will provide more effective emergency service to
the public to route 911 calls that do not originate from a
freeway to another PSAP.
When a 911 call is made from a mobile device, the call is routed
to an antenna on a cell tower. Each antenna is assigned an
Emergency Service Number which determines the PSAP that will
handle the call. Hence, calls made from one antenna's coverage
area might directly be referred to a local PSAP, whereas,
another may be referred to a CHP dispatch depending on the
antenna.
911 callers using a mobile device that are forwarded to a CHP
PSAP are queried until their location is determined by the CHP.
The call is then transferred to a local dispatch center. This
has often resulted in delays of the arrival of emergency
services and on some occasions, such delays have resulted in
serious injury or death.
Misrouting of 911 Calls : According to the author, there are
currently significant problems with California's 911 system
including: misrouting of calls to incorrect PSAPs, sometimes in
different cities or regions, and inaccurate caller location
information. The author points to an incident in 2014, in which
a 911 emergency call made in Santa Barbara was routed to Ventura
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CHP instead. Inaccurate location information given from CHP to
the local dispatch further delayed the call resulted in a 20
minute delay in the arrival of medical care. Furthermore,
following the 2014 shooting in Isla Vista, CA, in August 2015
test calls made from Isla Vista revealed that cell sites were
still routing calls to Ventura CHP instead of a local dispatch.
Support : According to the California Professional Firefighters,
"When lives are on the line, every second counts. This is
especially true, for example, in instances where an individual
sustains a cardiac arrest - a sudden condition that can be fatal
if not treated within a few minutes. By clarifying the process
by which an alternate PSAP is selected, as proposed by this
bill, people in emergency situations will be able to reach the
most efficient emergency responders the first time, thereby
potentially shaving minutes off of response times.
Consequently, AB 1564 aids in dramatically improving lifesaving
outcomes for those who call 9-1-1."
Double Referral : This bill was first heard in Assembly Committee
on Utilities and Commerce and passed on a 15-0 vote.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
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American Heart Association
American Medical Response
American Stroke Association
California Ambulance Association
California Chapter of the American College of Emergency
Physicians
California Fire Chiefs Association
California Peace Officers' Association
California Professional Firefighters
California State Sheriffs' Association
County of Santa Barbara
Emergency Medical Services Administrators Association of
California
Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Association of
California
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Fire Chiefs Association of Santa Barbara County
Fire Districts Association of California
League of California Cities
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Kenton Stanhope / G.O. / (916) 319-2531