Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
(1) It is
the responsibility of the Board to set the minimum standards for the
maintenance of certification for currently employed and certified
telecommunicators and emergency medical dispatchers (EMD).
(a) While it is the responsibility of the
Department to uphold those standards, each agency may determine what training
will be provided to meet the standards.
(b) The Board recommends that agencies
provide training time and training opportunities to enable telecommunicators
and EMD to meet the standards.
(2) The requirements established by the Board
to maintain certification apply to telecommunicators and EMD who are currently
employed and certified.
(3) The
Department will establish a maintenance cycle for each telecommunicator and EMD
upon issuance of a basic certification.
(a)
The maintenance cycle will begin on January 1st and end on December 31st of the
calendar year.
(b) Basic
certifications granted between January 1st and June 30th of the current year
will have maintenance cycles that are effective January 1st of the current
year.
(c) Basic certifications
granted between July 1st and December 31st of the current year will have
maintenance cycles that are effective January 1st of the following
year.
(d) If a telecommunicator's
or an EMD's certifications lapse, a new maintenance cycle will be established
upon reissuance of a basic certification.
(4) In order to maintain basic certification:
(a) A telecommunicator must complete a
minimum of 12 hours of maintenance training specific to the telecommunicator
discipline.
(b) An EMD must
complete a minimum of eight hours of maintenance training specific to the EMD
discipline.
(c) A telecommunicator
who is multi-discipline certified as a telecommunicator and an EMD must
complete a minimum of 12 hours of maintenance training specific to the
telecommunicator discipline and a minimum of four hours of maintenance training
specific to the EMD discipline.
(d)
Telecommunicators and EMD must complete a minimum of one hour of Ethics
training annually. Ethics training hours will be applied toward the minimum
maintenance training requirements. Multi-discipline certified telecommunicators
and EMD only need to satisfy the ethics training requirement once each
maintenance cycle.
(e)
Telecommunicators and EMD must maintain a certification in adult and child
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and a certification in First
Aid.
(5)
Telecommunicators and emergency medical dispatchers who are multi-discipline
certified in a law enforcement officer discipline must complete the
telecommunicator and emergency medical dispatcher maintenance requirements as
defined in this rule and are also required to complete the requirements to
maintain a law enforcement officer discipline as defined in OAR 259-008-0065.
The same training may be used for more than one discipline if the content is
applicable to each discipline. It is the responsibility of the department head
to determine if the training is appropriate for more than one
discipline.
(6) Leadership Training
for Telecommunicators. Telecommunicators with supervisory certification must
complete two hours of Leadership training annually. The Leadership training
requirement is in addition to the annual maintenance training requirements for
basic certification.
(7)
Instructors may apply hours spent instructing a class one time annually toward
maintenance training.
(a) Instructed hours
reported for a class may not exceed the lesser of:
(A) The actual class hours; or
(B) The actual number of hours the instructor
spent instructing the class.
(b) The total number of instructed hours
applied towards the annual maintenance training requirement may not exceed:
(A) Six hours for the telecommunications
discipline;
(B) Four hours for the
EMD discipline; or
(C) When
multi-discipline certified as a telecommunicator and an EMD, a combination of
six hours for the telecommunications discipline and two hours for the EMD
discipline.
(8)
Documentation of Completed Maintenance Requirements.
(a) The employing agency must:
(A) Maintain documentation for all of the
maintenance training and certification requirements;
(B) Report the expiration dates for the adult
and child CPR and First Aid certifications to the Department through a
Department-approved submission process; and
(C) Report the training and hours used to
complete the maintenance training requirements to the Department through a
Department-approved submission process by December 31st of each calendar year.
Training hours will be credited to the maintenance training category identified
on the course attendance roster.
(b) The Department will update the
telecommunicator's or EMD's DPSST training record to reflect completion of the
maintenance training and certification requirements.
(9) Maintenance Requirements for
Telecommunicators and Emergency Medical Dispatchers on Leave.
(a) The employing agency must notify the
Department whenever a telecommunicator or EMD is on leave for 91 days or more
pursuant to OAR 259-008-0020.
(b)
When a telecommunicator or EMD is on leave, their certifications will not lapse
pursuant to OAR 259-008-0067.
(c) A
telecommunicator or EMD who is on leave for any period up to 180 days will have
the same maintenance cycle.
(d) A
telecommunicator or EMD who is on leave for more than 180 days will receive a
one year extension of the maintenance cycle.
(e) If adult and child CPR certification or
First Aid certification expired while on leave, the telecommunicator or EMD
will have 30 days after returning from leave to obtain current
certification.
(10)
Suspension for Failure to Meet Maintenance Requirements for Certification.
(a) When a telecommunicator or EMD is
identified as deficient for maintenance training requirements or a failure to
maintain certifications in adult and child CPR and First Aid, a deficiency
notice will be sent to the telecommunicator or EMD and a copy of the deficiency
notice will be sent to the telecommunicator's or EMD's employing
agency.
(b) A telecommunicator or
EMD has 30 days from the date of the deficiency notice to complete the
maintenance requirements identified as deficient or to request a time
extension.
(c) When a
telecommunicator or EMD fails to complete the deficient maintenance
requirements or fails to request a time extension within 30 days of the date of
the deficiency notice, a Contested Case Notice of Intent to Suspend will be
prepared by the Department and served on the telecommunicator or EMD pursuant
to ORS
181A.640(1)(c)
and these rules. A copy of the Notice of Intent will be sent to the
telecommunicator's or EMD's employing agency.
(d) A Notice of Intent to Suspend based on a
deficiency that is only for Leadership training applies only to the
telecommunicator's supervisory, management, and executive
certifications.
(e) All contested
case notices will be prepared in accordance with the applicable provisions of
the Attorney General's Model Rules of Procedure adopted under OAR
259-005-0015.
(f) A
telecommunicator or EMD who has been served with a Contested Case Notice of
Intent to Suspend has 30 days from the date of mailing or personal service of
the notice to provide documentation to the Department showing the completion of
the maintenance requirements identified as deficient during the reporting
period or to file a written request for hearing with the Department.
(g) Default Order. If the required training
or certification is not reported to the Department or a request for hearing
received by the Department within 30 days from the date of the mailing or
personal service of the Notice, the Contested Case Notice will become a final
order suspending certification pursuant to OAR
137-003-0672.
(11) Time
Extensions.
(a) The Department may grant a
time extension for a telecommunicator or EMD to complete the deficient
maintenance training requirements upon receipt of a written request from the
telecommunicator or EMD or their employing agency's department head. The
written request must include an action plan for completing the training
requirements that were identified as deficient.
(b) No time extension will be granted beyond
December 31st of the year following the expiration date of the required
maintenance training.
(c) Training
used to complete the deficiencies for a maintenance cycle that has been granted
a time extension cannot be applied toward the next maintenance cycle.
(d) A time extension for deficient
maintenance training does not change the period for the following maintenance
cycle.
(e) If a telecommunicator or
EMD fails to complete the deficient maintenance training requirements before
the expiration of the time extension, a Notice of Intent to Suspend will be
served on the telecommunicator or EMD by the Department.
(12) A telecommunicator or EMD whose basic
certification has been suspended is prohibited from performing the duties of a
telecommunicator or EMD.
(13)
Recertification Following a Suspension:
(a)
Recertification following a suspension may be obtained by submitting
documentation to the Department showing completion of the maintenance
requirements.
(b) Prior to
reinstatement of certifications from a suspension for failure to meet
certification maintenance requirements, a telecommunicator or EMD must meet the
minimum employment, training and certification requirements outlined in OAR
chapter 259 division 008.
Forms referenced are available from the
agency.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS
181A.410
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS
181A.410
