BILL ANALYSIS � 1
SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
ALEX PADILLA, CHAIR
AB 770 - Torres Hearing Date:
July 5, 2011 A
As Amended: June 1, 2011 FISCAL B
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DESCRIPTION
Current law establishes the Public Safety Communications Office
(Office), formerly the Public Safety Communications Division,
within the California Technology Agency to administer the state
911 emergency telephone system with funding from the State
Emergency Telephone Network Account (SETNA) derived from a
surcharge on telephone customers.
Current law requires the Office, on a biennial basis, to review
and update technical and operational standards for public safety
911 systems in consultation with the State 911 Advisory Board.
Current law creates the California Commission on Peace Officer
Standards and Training (POST) to establish minimum standards for
public safety dispatchers.
This bill would require that the technical and operational
standards the Office is required to review and update include
standards for the training of public safety dispatchers.
Current law establishes the State 911 Advisory Board with
specified members appointed by the Governor and requires the
board to advise the Office on, among other things, training
standards for county coordinators and public safety answering
point (PSAP) managers.
Current law establishes the Office of the State Fire Marshall in
the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection with duties to
foster, promote and develop ways and means of protecting life
and property against fire and panic.
This bill would add one representative from POST and one
representative from the Office of the State Fire Marshal to the
State 911 Advisory Board.
Current law requires that, in communities where 5 percent or
more of the population speaks a language other than English, 911
system operators who speak those other languages must be
available for emergency calls.
This bill would require the State 911 Advisory Board to advise
the Office on issues related to 911 calls from non-English
speaking callers, the need to recruit multilingual dispatchers,
and the need to create standardized basic and advanced training
programs for all dispatchers.
This bill would make conforming changes to designate that the
Public Safety Communications Division within the California
Technology Agency has been renamed the Public Safety
Communications Office.
BACKGROUND
The Warren 911 Emergency Assistance Act - In 1976, the Warren
911 Emergency Assistance Act was enacted in order to reduce the
time required for a citizen to request and receive emergency
aid. The Act gave Department of General Services (DGS) oversight
responsibilities for the state's 911 system and required local
public agencies to establish 911 systems. A state 911 Advisory
Board was created to advise DGS on, among other things,
technical and operational standards for the 911 system and
training standards for county coordinators and dispatch center
managers.
Responsibility for administering the state's 911 system was
transferred from DGS to the Office of the State Chief
Information Officer in 2009. This office was renamed the
California Technology Agency by AB 2408 (Smyth, 2010), and 911
duties now reside in the Public Safety Communications Office
within that agency.
State 9-1-1 Manual - Current law requires the Office, on a
biennial basis, to review and update technical and operational
standards for public safety 911 systems, which are compiled in
the 9-1-1 Operations Manual and labeled "mandatory." According
to the California Technology Agency, local 911 systems are
expected to comply with these standards, although no statute
designates them as mandatory and they are not adopted as
official regulations.
Standardized Training - In 1959, the Legislature established
POST to set minimum selection and training standards for
California law enforcement. Currently, POST offers a 120-hour
course for public safety dispatchers and various courses for
upgrading skills. Some PSAPs, such as the Los Angeles Police
Department, have their own training for dispatchers, which has
been certified by POST. According to the author, other dispatch
centers provide no training at all.
911 Systems and Multi-lingual Callers - One of the most critical
aspects of the 911 response system is the handling of a
telephone request for emergency services. The dispatcher needs
to understand the nature of the emergency in order to ensure
that they can dispatch the appropriate responders. California
has the highest percentage of non-English speaking households in
the nation, making multi-lingual 911 dispatchers essential.
Current law requires that PSAPs serving areas where 5 percent or
more of the population speaks a primary language other than
English must have operators who speak that language available on
duty or through a telephone conference at all times. To comply
with this requirement, translators are available to any public
agency 911 system under a statewide contract the Office entered
into and paid for with SETNA funds. Any public agency 911
system also can enter its own contract for translators and be
reimbursed from SETNA.
COMMENTS
1. Author's Purpose . According to the author, this bill
addresses potential improvements in the procedures for
recruiting, training, and ongoing skill development for 911
dispatchers who perform a crucial function in the public
safety system. Their job is high stress and demands
precise performance in order to effectively relay calls to
the appropriate response entity. Due to the nature of 911
dispatching, recruitment and job retention is a problem in
this line of work.
2. Expanding 911 Advisory Board . This bill would add two
new members to the State 911 Advisory Board - a
representative of POST and the Office of the State Fire
Marshall. Both of these have expertise related to the
state's 911 system. Current law requires the Office to
"consult at regular intervals" with the State Fire Marshall
and other specified emergency and public safety agencies.
3. Need for More Multi-lingual Dispatchers . This bill
requires the State 911 Advisory Board to advise the Office
on the need to recruit multilingual dispatchers. As stated
previously, it is critical for a 911 dispatcher to
understand the emergency in order to expedite emergency
response. California has the most diverse population in
the nation with many non-English speakers. The author
states that recruitment hurdles and high rates of turnover
make filling all dispatcher positions challenging. It is
unclear, however, if translators available under the
statewide contract are not currently meeting the need to
answer 911 calls from non-English speaking callers.
4. Need for Standardized Training . This bill requires the
State 911 Advisory Board to advise the Office on the "need
to create standardized basic and advanced training programs
for all dispatchers assigned part time or full time to a
public safety access point." The bill also requires the
Office to include "standards for the training of public
safety dispatchers" in the 9-1-1 Operations Manual in order
to make standardized training available statewide. This
requirement to establish training standards appears to
preclude the possibility that the State 911 Advisory Board
may advise the Office that standardized training standards
are not needed. Thus, in order to avoid prejudging the
advice that this bill requires the State 911 Advisory Board
to give the Office, the author and committee may wish to
consider amending the bill to delete the requirement to
establish training standards until it receives advice from
the board on whether those training standards are actually
needed.
5. Standards Mandatory or Recommended ? The California
Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association
objects to the Office establishing mandatory training
standards, citing the need for public safety 911 systems to
tailor training to meet local needs. The author states that
the intent of the bill is to give the California Technology
Agency the discretion to determine whether the standards
are mandatory or recommended. However, the California
Technology Agency represents that it generally views
standards in the 9-1-1 Operations Manual as mandatory.
Thus, if the bill retains the requirement that the Office
establish standards, the author and committee may wish to
consider amending the bill to clarify whether the training
standards the Office is required to establish are mandatory
or recommended.
6. Ratepayer Impact . The operations of the Office are
generally paid with SETNA funds, which are derived from a
statewide 911 surcharge on telephone customer bills. To
the extent that this bill imposes new duties on the Office,
the 911 surcharge may need to be increased.
7. Prior Legislation . This bill is substantially similar
to AB 423 (Torres, 2009), which Governor Schwarzenegger
vetoed with the following message:
"This bill would make additions to the membership of the
911 Advisory Board as well as expand the scope of its
mission in the areas of dispatcher recruitment, training,
and addressing the needs of non-English speaking callers.
While I support the goals of this legislation, this measure
would lead to the duplication of efforts that cannot be
justified during these difficult financial times. Numerous
national organizations, including the Commission on Peace
Officer Standards and Training, already offer training for
dispatchers. Given the additional costs associated with
this measure, I am unable to sign this bill."
ASSEMBLY VOTES
Assembly Floor (53-23)
Assembly Appropriations Committee (12-5)
Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
(11-3)
POSITIONS
Sponsor:
Author
Support:
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
Peace Officers Research Association of California
Oppose:
California Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association
(unless amended)
Jacqueline Kinney
AB 770 Analysis
Hearing Date: July 5, 2011