Sec. 28-24. Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications. Enhanced 9-1-1 system. Funding.
Sec. 28-24. Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications. Enhanced
9-1-1 system. Funding. (a) There is established an Office of State-Wide Emergency
Telecommunications which shall be in the Division of Fire, Emergency and Building
Services within the Department of Public Safety. The Office of State-Wide Emergency
Telecommunications shall be responsible for developing and maintaining a state-wide
emergency service telecommunications policy. In connection with said policy the office shall:
(1) Develop a state-wide emergency service telecommunications plan specifying
emergency police, fire and medical service telecommunications systems needed to provide coordinated emergency service telecommunications to all state residents, including
the physically disabled;
(2) Pursuant to the recommendations of the task force established by public act 95-318* to study enhanced 9-1-1 telecommunications services, and in accordance with
regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Public Safety pursuant to subsection (b)
of this section, develop and administer, by July 1, 1997, an enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program, which shall provide for: (A) The replacement of existing 9-1-1 terminal
equipment for each public safety answering point; (B) the subsidization of regional
public safety emergency telecommunications centers, with enhanced subsidization for
municipalities with a population in excess of forty thousand; (C) the establishment of
a transition grant program to encourage regionalization of public safety telecommunications centers; and (D) the establishment of a regional emergency telecommunications
service credit in order to support regional dispatch services;
(3) Provide technical telecommunications assistance to state and local police, fire
and emergency medical service agencies;
(4) Provide frequency coordination for such agencies;
(5) Coordinate and assist in state-wide planning for 9-1-1 and E 9-1-1 systems;
(6) Review and make recommendations concerning proposed legislation affecting
emergency service telecommunications; and
(7) Review and make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning emergency service telecommunications funding.
(b) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall adopt regulations, in accordance with
chapter 54, establishing eligibility standards for state financial assistance to local or
regional police, fire and emergency medical service agencies providing emergency service telecommunications. Not later than April 1, 1997, the commissioner shall adopt
regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, in order to carry out the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Within a time period determined by the commissioner to ensure the availability
of funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1997, to the regional public safety emergency telecommunications centers within the state, and not later than April first of each
year thereafter, the commissioner shall determine the amount of funding needed for
the development and administration of the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program. The
commissioner shall specify the expenses associated with (1) the purchase, installation
and maintenance of new public safety answering point terminal equipment, (2) the implementation of the subsidy program, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a)
of this section, (3) the implementation of the transition grant program, described in
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, (4) the implementation of the regional
emergency telecommunications service credit, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, provided, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal
year thereafter, such credit for coordinated medical emergency direction services as
provided in regulations adopted under this section shall be based upon the factor of
thirty cents per capita and shall not be reduced each year, (5) the training of personnel,
as necessary, (6) recurring expenses and future capital costs associated with the telecommunications network used to provide emergency 9-1-1 service and the public safety
services data networks, (7) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year
thereafter, the collection, maintenance and reporting of emergency medical services
data, as required under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subdivision (8) of section 19a-177, provided the amount of expenses specified under this subdivision shall not exceed
two hundred fifty thousand dollars in any fiscal year, (8) for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, the initial training of emergency medical
dispatch personnel, the provision of an emergency medical dispatch priority reference
card set and emergency medical dispatch training and continuing education pursuant to
subdivisions (3) and (4) of subsection (g) of section 28-25b, and (9) the administration
of the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program by the Office of State-Wide Emergency
Telecommunications, as the commissioner determines to be reasonably necessary. The
commissioner shall communicate the commissioner's findings to the chairperson of the
Public Utilities Control Authority not later than April first of each year.
(d) The office may apply for, receive and distribute any federal funds available for
emergency service telecommunications. The office shall deposit such federal funds in
the Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund established by section 28-30a.
(e) The office shall work in cooperation with the Department of Public Utility Control to carry out the purposes of this section.
(P.A. 81-458, S. 1, 4; P.A. 82-87, S. 1, 2; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12, S. 4, 10; P.A. 93-206, S. 5, 16; P.A. 96-150, S. 1,
5; P.A. 00-151, S. 6, 14; P.A. 05-181, S. 1; P.A. 06-196, S. 157.)
*Note: P.A. 95-318 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified, but remains in full force and effect according
to its terms.
History: P.A. 82-87 amended Subsec. (a) by changing the office of state-wide emergency telecommunications to a
bureau within the department of administrative services; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that
bureau be within department of public safety in lieu of department of administrative services for administrative purposes
only and to eliminate the position of administrator, redesignated Subsec. (a)(7) as Subsec. (b) and required public safety
commissioner to adopt regulations in lieu of administrator, and relettered Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d),
respectively, substituting bureau for administrator; P.A. 93-206 amended section to substitute office of state-wide emergency telecommunications for bureau and amended Subsec. (a) to require said office to be in division of fire, emergency
and building services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-150 added detailed provisions re implementing enhanced 9-1-1
program in new Subsecs. (a)(2) and (c), renumbering and relettering prior provisions as necessary and added provision in
Subsec. (d) re deposit of federal funds in Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund, effective May 31, 1996; P.A. 00-151
amended Subsec. (c) by making technical changes and adding provisions re calculation of coordinated medical emergency
direction services credit, funding for emergency medical services data collection and reporting, and funding for emergency
medical dispatch, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 05-181 amended Subsec. (a)(2)(B) to substitute 40,000 for 70,000, amended
Subsec. (c)(4) to substitute $0.30 per capita for $0.15 per capita, and amended Subsec. (c)(6) to include reference to the
public safety services data networks, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(5), effective
June 7, 2006.