Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 31 - Public Safety
Part 601 - BOARD OF EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS AND TRAINING PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION POLICY AND PROCEDURES MANUAL
Chapter 2 - Applicant Evaluation, Employment and Certification Procedures
Rule 31-601-2.2 - Policy
Universal Citation: MS Code of Rules 31-601-2.2
Current through September 24, 2024
1. The board shall certify as emergency telecommunicators those persons who meet the employment guidelines established in accordance with Mississippi Code as Annotated Section 19-5-353.
A. Certification under the Emergency
Telecommunications Training Program (ETTP) is limited by law to emergency
telecommunicators only. An emergency telecommunicator is defined in the statute
[Section 19-5-303 (m) and Section 19-5- 357 (5)] as any person who is:
1. Engaged in or employed as a
telecommunications operator by any public safety, fire or emergency medical
agency or public or private entity or business, company or corporation,
2. Responsible for the receipt or
processing of calls for emergency services provided by public safety, fire or
emergency medical agencies,
3.
Charged with the dispatching of emergency services provided by public safety,
fire or emergency medical agencies,
4. Responsible for disseminating information
relative to emergency assistance by telephone or radio,
5. On duty for an average of eight (8) hours
or more per month.
B.
All emergency telecommunicator applicants must meet the following
guidelines to be employed as an emergency telecommunicator:
1. Be at least eighteen (18) years of age,
2. Be a high school graduate or
obtain a GED (refer to Chapter-2, Procedures-1, Subsection-A, Paragraph-4 for
full description),
3. Be a U.S.
Citizen,
4. Be capable of
performing the duties under conditions inherent to the profession, and
5. Not have a criminal record
including a plea of guilty, a plea of nolo contendere, probation, pre-trial
diversion nor the payment of any fine in relation to a crime that is directly
related to the duties and responsibilities of an emergency telecommunicator and
not have been engaged in any condition, conduct or action that would greatly
diminish the public trust in the competence and reliability of an emergency
telecommunicator. Fitness for service must be verified by an appropriate
background investigation.
6. Must
have been discharged from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions
C. Individuals who meet
both the definition for an emergency telecommunicator in (A) above and who meet
the minimum employment guidelines in (B) above are eligible to be employed as
an emergency telecommunicator.
1. Such
emergency telecommunicators must successfully complete prescribed training and
obtain certification within a certain time period.
a. Persons in the employment of any public
safety, fire, 911 PSAP or emergency medical agency as a telecommunicator on 1
July 1993, shall have three years to be certified in the minimum training
standards courses provided they have been employed by such agency for a period
of more than one year prior to 1 July 1993. (Since the Board of Emergency
Telecommunications Standards and Training became operational in April 1994, the
deadline date for these telecommunicators would be April 1997.)
b. Persons employed for less than one year
prior to 1 July 1993 shall be required to have completed all the requirements
for minimum training standards within a one-year time period. (Since the Board
became operational in April 1994, the deadline date would be April 1995).
c. Any person hired as an
emergency telecommunicator after July 1, 1993 shall complete the minimum
training standards within twelve (12) months of their employment or within
twelve months from the date that the Board shall become operational. (Since the
Board became operational in April 1994, the deadline date would begin in April
1995).
2. The one-year
or three-year probationary periods, whichever applies, are cumulative in nature
and cannot be enlarged by additional or multiple employments. If a
telecommunicator transfers from one agency to another prior to certification,
the total time served will count toward the one-year or three-year periods. For
example, in the case of a one-year probationary period, if a telecommunicator
began employment and quit after three months, that person would have nine
months remaining upon subsequent employment. The full one- year period may only
be reinstated upon a break in service of two years or more.
D. The ETTP makes no provision to
waive, enlarge, or extend the one-year or three-year periods nor does the Act
authorize the Board of Emergency Telecommunications Standards and Training to
waive, enlarge or extend the one- year or three-year periods. The Act does
however make provision to penalize agencies that employ emergency
telecommunicators without obtaining certification beyond the one-year or
three-year periods. These penalties include a loss of emergency
telecommunicator powers and authorization to receive a salary. To avoid these
penalties, agencies should consider all contingencies in the planning of the
evaluation, employment and training of their personnel.
Miss Code Ann. § 19-5-351
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Mississippi may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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