Metro Clerk

Bill BL2019-75

An ordinance amending Chapter 2.30 of the Metropolitan Code to require 9-1-1 telecommunicators to be trained in the delivery of high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR).

WHEREAS, high-quality T-CPR instructions assist an untrained caller on how to effectively provide CPR; and

WHEREAS, Metro Nashville Davidson County emergency telecommunicators should be trained and able to provide high-quality, T-CPR instructions to a bystander over the phone – just in time -- to assist a victim in cardiac arrest; and

WHEREAS, high-quality T-CPR saves lives from cardiac arrest and should be a required standard of care for every 9-1-1 telecommunicator who provides dispatch instructions for medical emergencies; and

WHEREAS, heart disease is the number one cause of death and approximately 475,000 people suffer a sudden cardiac arrest every year; and

WHEREAS, more than 90 percent who suffer a cardiac arrest outside a hospital die from it; and

WHEREAS, more than half of the nation’s emergency telecommunicators do not provide any T-CPR instructions for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; and

WHEREAS, standardizing and improving the delivery of high-quality T-CPR instructions will save as many as 13,000 lives annually in the United States; and

WHEREAS, early access to 9-1-1 and early CPR are the first two steps for survival; and

WHEREAS, for every minute without CPR, chances of survival drop by 10 percent and

WHEREAS, bystander CPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival; and

WHEREAS, high-quality T-CPR gives emergency medical responders a better chance of success, when they arrive on the scene of a cardiac arrest.

NOW, THERFORE BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METOPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. That Chapter 2.30 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws is hereby amended by creating new Sections 2.30.050 and 2.30.060 as follows:

2.30.050 Training.

A. All 9-1-1 telecommunicators who provide dispatch for emergency conditions shall be required to be trained, utilizing the most current, nationally recognized emergency cardiovascular care guidelines, in high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR). At a minimum, this training shall incorporate recognition protocols for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructions for callers, and continuous education as appropriate.

B. The department shall establish a procedure for monitoring adherence by identified telecommunicators and the governing bodies of identified telecommunicators to the requirements set forth in Subsection A and may adjust grant/shared revenue amounts based on failure to comply with the requirements of this Section.

2.30.060 Civil Immunity

A. No 9-1-1 telecommunicator who instructs a caller on telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) shall be liable for any civil damages arising out of the instruction provided to the caller, except for acts or omissions intentionally designed to harm, or for grossly negligent acts or omissions that result in harm to an individual.

1. A caller may decline to receive telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) instruction.
2. When a caller declines telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) instruction, the 9-1-1 telecommunicator has no obligation to provide the instruction.

B. The department shall not be liable for any civil damages for employing individuals to answer 9-1-1 emergency calls who are recently hired, onboarding, and not currently trained in high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) training.

Section 2. If any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance shall be declared invalid for any reason whatsoever, such decision shall not affect the remaining portions of this Ordinance which shall continue in full force and effect, and to this end the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby declared to be severable.

Section 3. This ordinance shall take effect from and after its passage, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.