Healthcare (Public Safety)

This bill (B 26-0599) clarifies the role of the Fire & EMS Medical Director to explicitly oversee all clinical aspects of the District of Columbia's 911 call center (OUC), including dispatch protocols, quality assurance, and Continuous Quality Improvement programs. It also requires all OUC call takers and dispatchers to obtain Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certification within one year of hire (or one year after the bill's effective date for current staff). The legislation directly affects OUC staff and aims to improve accuracy in emergency call responses - addressing past complaints about errors that led to injuries or fatalities. By codifying these requirements, the bill seeks to align OUC's accuracy standards with its recent gains in call response speed (98% answered within 20 seconds).