69-2-201.  Public safety answering point — Establishment — Administration — Consolidation.

(1) 

Terms Used In Utah Code 69-2-201

  • Dispatch center: means the same as that term is defined in Section 63H-7a-103. See Utah Code 69-2-102
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: means :Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • Public agency: means a state government entity, a political subdivision of the state, a special service district, or an entity created by interlocal agreement that provides or has authority to provide fire fighting, law enforcement, ambulance, medical, or other emergency services. See Utah Code 69-2-102
  • Public safety agency: means a functional division of a public agency which provides fire fighting, law enforcement, medical, or other emergency services. See Utah Code 69-2-102
  • Public safety answering point: means the same as that term is defined in Section 63H-7a-103. See Utah Code 69-2-102
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(a)  A public agency may:

(i)  operate a public safety answering point to provide 911 emergency service to any part of the geographic area within the public agency’s jurisdiction;

(ii)  subject to Subsection (1)(b), operate a public safety answering point with any other contiguous public agency to provide 911 emergency service to any part of the geographic area within the public agencies’ jurisdictions;

(iii)  operate a public safety answering point under an agreement with another public agency that existed before January 1, 2017, to provide 911 emergency service to any part of the geographic area within the public agencies’ jurisdictions; or

(iv)  subject to Subsections (1)(b) and (c), operate a public safety answering point to provide 911 emergency service for all public safety agencies in a non-contiguous county of the fourth, fifth, or sixth class, if the public agency is located in a county of the fourth, fifth, or sixth class.

(b)  A public agency that operates a public safety answering point in connection with another public agency shall:

(i)  provide for the operation of the public safety answering point by interlocal agreement between the public agencies; and

(ii)  submit a copy of the interlocal agreement each year to the director of the Utah Communications Authority.

(c)  A public agency that operates a public safety answering point described in Subsection (1)(a)(iv) shall:

(i)  promote interoperability among the public agencies served;

(ii)  positively impact a large service territory;

(iii)  annually qualify for disbursements as described in Section 63H-7a-304.5; and

(iv)  maintain a designation as an emergency medical service dispatch center as described in Section 26B-4-117.

(2)  Except as provided in Subsection (3), a public agency may not establish a dispatch center or a public safety answering point after January 1, 2017.

(3) 

(a)  A public agency that operates a public safety answering point established before January 1, 2017, may:

(i)  continue to operate the public safety answering point; or

(ii)  physically consolidate the public safety answering point with another public safety answering point operated by another contiguous public agency or consolidate with a non-contiguous county in accordance with Subsection (1)(a)(iv).

(b)  A county may establish a public safety answering point on or after January 1, 2017, if no public safety answering point exists in the county.

(4)  A public agency may, in order to provide funding for operating a public safety answering point:

(a)  seek funds from the federal or state government;

(b)  seek funds appropriated by local governmental taxing authorities to fund a public safety agency; or

(c)  seek gifts, donations, or grants from a private person.

(5) 

(a)  Each dispatch center in the state shall enter into an interlocal agreement with the governing authority of a public safety answering point that serves the county for which the dispatch center provides dispatch services.

(b)  The agreement listed in Subsection (5)(a) shall provide for:

(i)  functional consolidation of the dispatch center with the public safety answering point that allows for dispatching to occur without the caller being transferred; and

(ii)  a plan for the public safety answering point to provide 911 emergency service to the geographic area served by the dispatch center that meets the requirements of Section 63H-7a-304.5.

(6) 

(a)  No public entity may cause or allow a 911 or emergency call box communication to be redirected to any network other than to the 911 emergency service network.

(b)  Each public entity shall comply with Subsection (6)(a) on or before July 1, 2019, and thereafter.

(7)  A special service district that operates a public safety answering point or a dispatch center:

(a)  shall administer the public safety answering point or dispatch center in accordance with Title 17D, Chapter 1, Special Service District Act; and

(b)  may raise funds, borrow money, or incur indebtedness for the purpose of maintaining the public safety answering point or the dispatch center in accordance with:

(i)  Section 17D-1-105; and

(ii)  Section 17D-1-103.

(8)  A public safety answering point and dispatch center shall adopt the statewide CAD-to-CAD call handling and 911 call transfer protocol adopted by the Utah Communications Authority board under Subsection 63H-7a-204(17).

Amended by Chapter 507, 2023 General Session