Senate Bill No. 405
(By Senator Dalton)
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[Introduced March 18, 1993; referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section four, 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; requiring that retired police officers or
retired firefighters be hired as directors of local
emergency telephone systems; and providing for an oversight
committee in each locality with a local emergency telephone
system.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section four, 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.
§24-6-4. Creation of emergency telephone systems.
(a) Upon the adoption by the public service commission of
a comprehensive plan, the public agency may establish, consistent
with the comprehensive plan, an emergency telephone system withinits respective jurisdiction. Nothing herein contained, however,
shall be construed to prohibit or discourage in any way the
establishment of multijurisdiction or regional systems, and any
emergency telephone system established pursuant to this article
may include the territory of more than one public agency, or may
include only a portion of the territory of a public agency. To
the extent feasible, emergency telephone systems shall be
centralized.
(b) Every emergency telephone system shall provide access to
emergency services organizations, police, firefighting, and
emergency medical and ambulance services and may provide access
to other emergency services. Such system may also provide access
to private ambulance services. The emergency telephone system
shall provide the necessary mechanical equipment at the
established public agency answering point to allow deaf persons
access to the system. In those areas in which a public safety
unit of the state provides emergency services, the system shall
provide access to the public safety unit.
(c) The primary emergency telephone number to the extent
possible shall be uniform throughout the state.
(d) A telephone company in the normal course of replacing or
making major modifications to its switching equipment shall
include the capability of providing for the emergency telephone
system and shall bear all costs related thereto. All charges for
other services and facilities provided by the telephone company,
including the provision of distribution facilities and stationequipment, shall be paid for by the public agency or public
safety unit in accordance with the applicable tariff rates then
in effect for such services and facilities. Other costs pursuant
to the emergency telephone system shall be allocated as
determined by the applicable comprehensive plan of the public
service commission.
(e) All coin-operated telephones within the state shall be
of a design that will permit a caller to initiate, without first
having to insert a coin (dial tone first or post-pay systems),
local calls to the long distance and directory assistance
operators, calls to the emergency telephone number answering
point, if one has been established in his or her local calling
area, and to other numbers for services as the telephone company
may from time to time make available to the public.
(f) Every emergency telephone system shall employ a retired
law enforcement officer or a retired firefighter as director of
each emergency telephone system. The director shall hire
necessary staff and conduct the day to day operations of the
system. The public service commission shall ensure that an
oversight committee is appointed within each community with an
emergency telephone system. The oversight committee shall make
recommendations to the director of the division of public safety,
the county commission, the governing body of each municipality
involved in a local emergency telephone system concerning the day
to day operations of the system, needed changes in the system and
support for necessary additional revenue. The director of thelocal emergency telephone system shall be a member of the
oversight committee.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require that local
emergency telephone systems hire retired police officers or
retired firefighters as directors of the system. The bill also
requires an oversight committee be appointed to make
recommendations for improving the system.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.