1. The governing body of a county may establish an emergency communications system commission within the geographical boundaries of such county. Each such commission shall be composed of seven commissioners appointed by the chief executive officer of the county in which the commission is established.

2. The commission shall include a chief of police of a municipality located within the county, the chief of the police or the sheriff of the county, a chief of a municipal fire department located within the county, a chief of a fire protection district located within the county, and three at-large commissioners, who shall be residents of the county, all subject to the confirmation of the governing body of the county. Where applicable, the member who is a municipal chief of police shall be chosen from those persons nominated by a local police chiefs association. The members who are chiefs of either a municipal fire department or a fire protection district shall be chosen from those persons nominated by a local fire chiefs association. One at-large commissioner shall be chosen from those persons nominated by a local municipal league or organization. At least two of the at-large commissioners shall be persons who are not employed by a fire department or district, a police or sheriff’s department, or any emergency medical system, or who are not elected or appointed officials of a political subdivision of the state or are not employed by the state of Missouri.

3. The terms of office of the commissioner who is a chief of police or sheriff of the county shall be coterminous with such person‘s term of office as chief of police or sheriff. At the first meeting of the commission, the other commissioners shall choose the length of their terms, with two commissioners serving for two years, three commissioners serving for three years and one commissioner serving for four years. All succeeding commissioners shall serve for five years. Terms shall end on December thirty-first of the respective year. No commissioner shall serve for more than two consecutive full terms. A commissioner who is not an at-large commissioner shall remain in office only so long as he or she retains office with the department or district that such commissioner served at the time such person was appointed to the board of commissioners. Vacancies on the board of commissioners shall be filled by persons appointed by the chief executive officer of the county in the same manner by which the commissioner whose office is vacant was first appointed.