COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

H. B. 2279
(By Delegate Heck)


(Originating in the House Committee on the Judiciary)


[March 31, 1993]


A BILL to amend and reenact section five, article six, chapter twenty-four of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to local emergency telephone systems and requiring counties or municipalities to appoint a committee to monitor the enhanced emergency telephone system.

 Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section five, article six, chapter twenty-four of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6. LOCAL EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

§24-6-5. Enhanced emergency telephone system requirements.

(a) An enhanced emergency telephone system, at a minimum, shall provide that:
(1) All the territory in the county, including every municipal corporation in the county, which is served by telephone company central office equipment that will permit such a system to be established shall be included in the system;
(2) Every emergency service provider that provides emergency service within the territory of a county participate in the system;
(3) Each county answering point be operated constantly;
(4) Each emergency service provider participating in the system maintain a telephone number in addition to the one provided for in the system; and
(5) If the county answering point personnel reasonably determine that a call is not an emergency the personnel provide the caller with the number of the appropriate emergency service provider.
(b) To the extent possible, enhanced emergency telephone systems shall be centralized.
(c) In developing an enhanced emergency telephone system, the county commission or the department of public safety shall seek the advice of both the telephone companies providing local exchange service within the county and the local emergency providers. (d) Each county or municipality shall appoint an enhanced emergency telephone system advisory board to monitor the operations of the enhanced emergency telephone system for each county's answering point. The board shall consist of one representative from each class of emergency service providers in the county or municipality who participate in the service. Each organization shall present a nominee from its organization to be selected to serve on the board. Terms will be staggered with terms to begin at one, two and three years, following the first appointments the appointments shall be for three-year terms. The county or municipality in which the system operates shall have arepresentative on the board. The board shall meet once a month to determine policy, promulgate rules and regulations conducive to the efficient operation of the enhanced emergency system and shall be responsible for the hiring of a director requiring such person to have had emergency service experience. The director shall answer to the board and shall be responsible for the hiring of employees with final approval of the selection by the board. The board shall be responsible for the training of the director through an accredited national training center; the director will train all staff persons. The director shall sit on the board in an advisory capacity and make recommmendations for change when necessary.
The board may make recommendations to the county or municipality concerning any requests for additional revenue. The president of the county commission and the mayor or principal appointing officer of a municipality, and if applicable, the superintendent of the division of public safety shall present the revenue increase request to the public service commission.