Senate Concurrent Resolution 519

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DECLARING THAT PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS ARE FIRST RESPONDERS IN MISSISSIPPI AND MAY BE RECOGNIZED AS SUCH.

WHEREAS, 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators are part of the critical infrastructure of the public safety framework and trained as communication officers pursuant to Section 19-5-353, Mississippi Code of 1972; and

WHEREAS, 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators play a critical role in emergency response as the first line of communication for persons needing police, fire or medical response, and as a lifeline to police, fire and medical response personnel in the field; and

WHEREAS, these individuals are challenged on a daily basis, dealing with stressful situations involving life and death, and handle such situations with compassion, empathy and professionalism; and

WHEREAS, while employing their experience and training to recognize a critical piece of information, 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators are often communicating with people in states of great distress, harm, fear or injury; and

WHEREAS, 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators operate specialized systems for tracking field responders, identifying the location of 9-1-1 callers, and for communicating emergencies; and

WHEREAS, when responding to reports of missing, abducted and sexually exploited children, the information obtained and actions taken by 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators form the foundation for an effective response; and

WHEREAS, when a hostage-taker or suicidal person calls 9-1-1, the first contact is with a 9-1-1 or public safety telecommunicator whose negotiation skills can prevent the situation from worsening; and

WHEREAS, during mass casualty or other injurious incidents, 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators coach callers through first aid and deliver advice to prevent further harm, all while collecting vital information to provide situational awareness for responding emergency personnel; and

WHEREAS, the performance of 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators has a profound effect on the outcome of the call for service, timeliness and effectiveness of the operators can be the difference between life and death; and

WHEREAS, without 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators, adequate public safety cannot be achieved:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, that 9-1-1 and public safety telecommunicators are first responders in the State of Mississippi and may be recognized as such.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives are authorized to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the Capitol Press Corps.