Article 6. Local Emergency Telephone Systems of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 5. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 6.
(a) This article shall be known and may be cited as the
Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act.
(b) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that it is in the
public interest to shorten the time required for a citizen to request
and receive emergency aid. There currently exist thousands of
different emergency phone numbers throughout the state, and present
telephone exchange boundaries and central office service areas do not
necessarily correspond to public safety and political boundaries.
Provision of a single, primary three-digit emergency number through
which emergency services can be quickly and efficiently obtained
would provide a significant contribution to law enforcement and other
public service efforts by making it less difficult to quickly notify
public safety personnel. Such a simplified means of procuring
emergency services will result in the saving of life, a reduction in
the destruction of property, quicker apprehension of criminals, and
ultimately the saving of money. The Legislature further finds and
declares that the establishment of a uniform, statewide emergency
number is a matter of statewide concern and interest to all
inhabitants and citizens of this state. It is the purpose of this act
to establish the number "911" as the primary emergency telephone
number for use in this state and to encourage units of local
government and combinations of such units to develop and improve
emergency communication procedures and facilities in such a manner as
to be able to quickly respond to any person calling the telephone
number "911" seeking police, fire, medical, rescue, and other
emergency services.
"Public agency," as used in this article, means the state,
and any city, county, city and county, municipal corporation, public
district, or public authority located in whole or in part within this
state which provides or has authority to provide firefighting,
police, ambulance, medical, or other emergency services.
"Public safety agency," as used in this article, means a
functional division of a public agency which provides firefighting,
police, medical, or other emergency services.
"Direct dispatch method," as used in this article, means a
telephone service providing for the dispatch of an appropriate
emergency service unit upon receipt of a telephone request for such
services and a decision as to the proper action to be taken.
"Relay method," as used in this article, means a telephone
service whereby pertinent information is noted by the recipient of a
telephone request for emergency services, and is relayed to
appropriate public safety agencies or other providers of emergency
services for dispatch of an emergency service unit.
"Transfer method," as used in this article, means a
telephone service which receives telephone requests for emergency
services and directly transfers such requests to an appropriate
public safety agency or other provider of emergency services.
"Referral method," as used in this article, means a
telephone service which, upon the receipt of a telephone request for
emergency services, provides the requesting party with the telephone
number of the appropriate public safety agency or other provider of
emergency services. The use of the referral method shall only be used
for nonemergency situations.
"Basic system," as used in this article, means a telephone
service which automatically connects a person dialing the digits "911"
to an established public safety answering point through normal
telephone service facilities.
"Sophisticated system," as used in this article, means a
basic system with the additional capability of automatic
identification of the caller's number, holding the incoming call,
reconnection on the same telephone line, clearing a telephone line,
or automatic call routing or combinations of such capabilities.
"Incremental costs", as used in this article, mean any
costs necessary for the establishment of a system required by this
article and recommended for reimbursement by the advisory committee
established by Section 53115.1 other than costs for (1) a basic
system, (2) a basic system with telephone central office
identification, or (3) a system employing automatic call routing,
which are reasonable, necessary and unique for the planning and
efficient implementation of a local agency's 911 system.
"Division," as used in this article, means the Public
Safety Communications Division within the Office of Emergency
Services.
Every local public agency within its respective jurisdiction
shall establish and have in operation by December 31, 1985, a basic
system as provided in this article, or be part of such a system.
The establishment of such systems shall be centralized to the
extent feasible. Nothing in this article shall be construed to
prohibit or discourage in any way the formation of
multijurisdictional or regional systems, and any system established
pursuant to this article may include the territory of more than one
public agency or may include a segment of the territory of a public
agency.
The Legislature finds and declares that environmental
considerations in the Tahoe region have halted or delayed the
development of facilities necessary for the establishment of a local
emergency telephone system in that area.
Accordingly, local public agencies in the Tahoe region, as defined
in subdivision (a) of Article II of Section 66801 of the Government
Code, shall comply with Section 53109 by December 31, 1986, rather
than by December 31, 1985.
Every system shall include police, firefighting, and
emergency medical and ambulance services, and may include other
emergency services, in the discretion of the affected local public
agency, such as poison control services, suicide prevention services,
and civil defense services. The system may incorporate private
ambulance service. In those areas in which a public safety agency of
the state provides such emergency services, the system shall include
such public safety agencies.
The digits "911" shall be the primary emergency telephone
number within the system, but a public agency or public safety agency
may maintain a separate secondary backup number, and shall maintain
a separate number for nonemergency telephone calls.
(a) All systems shall be designed to meet the specific
requirements of each community and public agency served by the
system. Every system, whether basic or sophisticated, shall be
designed to have the capability of utilizing at least three of the
methods specified in Sections 53103 to 53106, inclusive, in response
to emergency calls. The Legislature finds and declares that the most
critical aspect of the design of any system is the procedure
established for handling a telephone request for emergency services.
(b) In addition, to maximize efficiency and utilization of the
system, all pay telephones within each system shall, by December 31,
1985, enable a caller to dial "911" for emergency services, and to
reach an operator by dialing "0", without the necessity of inserting
a coin. At those "911" public safety answering points serving an area
where 5 percent or more of the population, in accordance with the
latest United States census information, speak a specific primary
language other than English, operators who speak each such other
language, in addition to English, shall be on duty or available
through interagency telephone conference procedures at all times for
"911" emergency services.
(c) In addition, all systems shall require installation of a
telecommunications device capable of servicing the needs of the deaf
or severely hearing impaired at the "911" public safety answering
point or points. The device shall be compatible with devices
furnished by telephone corporations pursuant to Section 2881 of the
Public Utilities Code.
The Legislature finds that, because of overlapping
jurisdiction of public agencies, public safety agencies, and
telephone service areas, a general overview or plan should be
developed prior to the establishment of any system. In order to
ensure that proper preparation and implementation of those systems is
accomplished by all public agencies by December 31, 1985, the
office, with the advice and assistance of the Attorney General, shall
secure compliance by public agencies as provided in this article.
The office, with the advice and assistance of the Attorney
General, shall coordinate the implementation of systems established
pursuant to the provisions of this article. The office, with the
advice and assistance of the Attorney General, shall assist local
public agencies and local public safety agencies in obtaining
financial help to establish emergency telephone service, and shall
aid agencies in the formulation of concepts, methods, and procedures
that will improve the operation of systems required by this article
and that will increase cooperation between public safety agencies.
To accomplish the responsibilities specified in this
article, the division is directed to consult at regular intervals
with the State Fire Marshal, the State Department of Public Health,
the Office of Traffic Safety, a local representative from a city, a
local representative from a county, the public utilities in this
state providing telephone service, the Association of Public-Safety
Communications Officials, the Emergency Medical Services Authority,
the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and the Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection. These agencies shall provide all
necessary assistance and consultation to the division to enable it to
perform its duties specified in this article.
On or before December 31, 1976, and each even-numbered
year thereafter, after consultation with all agencies specified in
Section 53114.1, the office shall review and update technical and
operational standards for public agency systems.
The office shall monitor all emergency telephone systems to
ensure they comply with minimal operational and technical standards
as established by the office. If any system does not comply the
office shall notify in writing the public agency or agencies
operating the system of its deficiencies. The public agency shall
bring the system into compliance with the operational and technical
standards within 60 days of notice by the office. Failure to comply
within this time shall subject the public agency to action by the
Attorney General pursuant to Section 53116.
(a) There is in state government the State 911 Advisory
Board.
(b) The advisory board shall be comprised of the following members
appointed by the Governor who shall serve at the pleasure of the
Governor.
(1) The Chief of the Public Safety Communications Division shall
serve as the nonvoting chair of the board.
(2) One representative from the Department of the California
Highway Patrol.
(3) Two representatives on the recommendation of the California
Police Chiefs Association.
(4) Two representatives on the recommendation of the California
State Sheriffs' Association.
(5) Two representatives on the recommendation of the California
Fire Chiefs Association.
(6) Two representatives on the recommendation of the CalNENA
Executive Board.
(7) One representative on the joint recommendation of the
executive boards of the state chapters of the Association of
Public-Safety Communications Officials-International, Inc.
(c) Recommending authorities shall give great weight and
consideration to the knowledge, training, and expertise of the
appointee with respect to their experience within the California 911
system. Board members should have at least two years of experience as
a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) manager or county
coordinator, except where a specific person is designated as a
member.
(d) Members of the advisory board shall serve at the pleasure of
the Governor, but may not serve more than two consecutive two-year
terms, except as follows:
(1) The presiding Chief of the Public Safety Communications
Division shall serve for the duration of his or her tenure.
(2) Four of the members shall serve an initial term of three
years.
(e) Advisory board members shall not receive compensation for
their service on the board, but may be reimbursed for travel and per
diem for time spent in attending meetings of the board.
(f) The advisory board shall meet quarterly in public sessions in
accordance with the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 3
of Title 2). The division shall provide administrative support to the
State 911 Advisory Board. The State 911 Advisory Board, at its first
meeting, shall adopt bylaws and operating procedures consistent with
this article and establish committees as necessary.
(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any member of the
advisory board may designate a person to act as that member in his or
her place and stead for all purposes, as though the member were
personally present.
(a) The State 911 Advisory Board shall advise the office
on all of the following subjects:
(1) Policies, practices, and procedures for the California 911
Emergency Communications Office.
(2) Technical and operational standards for the California 911
system consistent with the National Emergency Number Association
(NENA) standards.
(3) Training standards for county coordinators and Public Safety
Answering Point (PSAP) managers.
(4) Budget, funding, and reimbursement decisions related to the
State Emergency Number Account.
(5) Proposed projects and studies conducted or funded by the State
Emergency Number Account.
(6) Expediting the rollout of Enhanced 911 Phase II technology.
(b) Upon request of a local public agency, the board shall conduct
a hearing on any conflict between a local public agency and the
office regarding a final plan that has not been approved by the
office pursuant to Section 53114. The board shall meet within 30 days
following the request, and shall make a recommendation to resolve
the conflict to the office within 90 days following the initial
hearing by the board pursuant to the request.
When proposed implementation of the 911 system by a single
public agency within its jurisdiction may adversely affect the
implementation of the system by a neighboring public agency or
agencies, such neighboring public agency may request that the office
evaluate the impact of implementation by the proposing public agency
and evaluate and weigh that impact in its decision to approve or
disapprove the proposing public agency's final plan pursuant to
Section 53115. In order to effectuate this process, each city shall
file a notice of filing of its final plan with each adjacent city and
with the county in which the proposing public agency is located at
the same time such final plan is filed with the office and each
county shall file a notice of filing of its final plan with each city
within the county and each adjacent county at the time the final
plan is filed with the office. Any public agency wishing to request
review pursuant to this section shall file its request with the
office within 30 days of filing of the final plan for which review is
sought.
The Attorney General may, on behalf of the office or on his
or her own initiative, commence judicial proceedings to enforce
compliance by any public agency or public utility providing telephone
service with the provisions of this article.
The Legislature declares that a major purpose in enacting
this article is to eliminate instances in which a responding
emergency service refuses to render aid to the requester because the
requester is outside of the jurisdictional boundaries of the
emergency service. A public safety agency which receives a request
through the system for emergency services outside its jurisdictional
boundaries shall transmit the request to the proper public safety
answering point or public safety agency utilizing the methods
described in Sections 53103 to 53105, inclusive. In the event an
emergency unit is dispatched in response to a request through the
system, such unit shall render its services to the requesting party
without regard to whether the unit is operating outside its normal
jurisdictional boundaries until properly relieved by the public
safety agency responsible for that geographical area. Public agencies
within a single system and public agencies in different systems but
whose jurisdictional boundaries are contiguous are authorized to
enter into joint powers agreements or any other form of written
cooperative agreement to implement this requirement. These agreements
may further provide for a public safety agency to render aid outside
its normal jurisdictional boundaries when need arises on a
day-to-day basis.
Any telephone corporation serving rural telephone areas that
cannot currently provide enhanced "911" emergency telephone service
capable of selective routing, automatic number identification, or
automatic location identification shall present to the office a
comprehensive plan detailing a schedule by which those facilities
will be converted to be compatible with the enhanced emergency
telephone system.
The office shall not delay implementation of the enhanced
"911" emergency telephone system in those portions of cities or
counties, or both, served by a local telephone corporation that has
equipment compatible with the enhanced "911" emergency telephone
system.
(a) The Office of Emergency Services shall develop a plan
and timeline of target dates for the testing, implementation, and
operation of a Next Generation 911 emergency communication system,
including text to 911 service, throughout California.
(b) In order to maximize efficiency and contain costs, the Next
Generation 911 emergency communication system shall incorporate,
where consistent with public safety and technologically feasible,
shared infrastructure and elements of other public safety and
emergency communications networks, including, but not limited to, all
of the following:
(1) Public safety communications identified in the annual plan
required by subdivision (b) of Section 15277.
(2) Local and regional public safety broadband networks authorized
by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
(Public Law 111-5).
(3) Public safety broadband networks authorized by the federal
Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Public Law
112-96).
(4) Public safety radio and communications facilities used for the
purpose of public warnings pursuant to Section 15254.