(A179, R224, H4867)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 23-23-45 SO AS TO REQUIRE ALL 911 TELECOMMUNICATORS THAT PROVIDE DISPATCH FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL CONDITIONS TO BE TRAINED IN HIGH-QUALITY TELECOMMUNICATOR CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (T-CPR), AND TO PROVIDE CERTAIN PERSONS WHO COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN THIS SECTION ARE NOT LIABLE FOR CERTAIN INJURIES THAT OCCUR FROM ACTS PERFORMED UNDER THIS SECTION; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 23-23-10, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS OF TERMS REGARDING THE LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING COUNCIL AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACADEMY, SO AS TO PROVIDE A DEFINITION FOR THE TERM "T-CPR".

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

911 telecommunicators training

SECTION 1.    Chapter 23, Title 23 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

Section 23-23-45.    (A) Beginning January 1, 2025, all 911 telecommunicators that provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions shall be required to be trained, utilizing the most current nationally recognized cardiovascular care guidelines, in high-quality T-CPR. The instruction shall incorporate recognition protocols for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), compression-only CPR instruction for callers, and continuous education which must be completed on an annual basis.

(B) All agencies within this State employing 911 telecommunicators that provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions shall be responsible for providing the instruction specified in subsection (A).

(C) The South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy shall establish a procedure for monitoring adherence by telecommunicators and their employing agencies to the requirements set forth in subsection (A) and penalizing agencies for noncompliance, as described in Section 23-23-100.

(D) Neither telecommunicators that provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions who have completed the training specified in subsection (A) nor the State or the agency, political subdivision, or governmental entity employing such telecommunicators shall be liable for any civil damages for any personal injury arising from the provision of CPR instructions to 911 callers except acts or omissions amounting to gross negligence, recklessness, or wilful, wanton, or intentional misconduct. Any civil cause of action for damages arising from the provision of T-CPR instructions and brought against the State, an agency, a political subdivision, or a governmental entity and its employee acting within the scope of his official duty must be brought pursuant to the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, Chapter 78, Title 15.

Definitions

SECTION 2.    Section 23-23-10(E) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

(E) As contained in this chapter:

(1) "Law enforcement officer" means an appointed officer or employee hired by and regularly on the payroll of the State or any of its political subdivisions, who is granted statutory authority to enforce all or some of the criminal, traffic, and penal laws of the State and who possesses, with respect to those laws, the power to effect arrests for offenses committed or alleged to have been committed.

(2) "Council" means the South Carolina Law Enforcement Training Council created by this chapter.

(3) "Academy" means the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy created by this chapter.

(4) "Director" means the Director of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.

(5) "T-CPR" means telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is the dispatcher-assisted delivery of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction by trained emergency call takers or public safety dispatchers to callers or bystanders for events requiring CPR, such as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Time effective

SECTION 3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 15th day of May, 2024.

Approved the 20th day of May, 2024.

This web page was last updated on June 25, 2024 at 2:05 PM