On February 22, 2024, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in support of SB 649- Public Safety Answering Point Personnel- Training in Telecommunications Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
This bill requires the Maryland 9-1-1 Board to establish training standards for public safety answering point personnel based on national best practices for high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR). In addition, the bill clarifies that any local expenditures for counties that provide T-CPR training are reimbursable by the 9-1-1 Trust Fund.
One way to ensure CPR is provided quickly is for 9-1-1 specialists to give instant instructions with telecommunicator CPR. T-CPR allows bystander CPR to begin – it works by keeping the brain and heart alive until EMS arrives to provide defibrillation and other vital interventions. T-CPR can assist the untrained caller and remind the CPR-trained caller how to provide high-quality CPR.
SB 649’s cross-file, HB 1092, was heard on March 8, 2024 in the House Health and Government Operations Committee. Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony in support of this bill. SB 649 was heard in the opposite chamber, the House Health and Government Operations Committee, on March 19. MACo submitted testimony in support of this bill.
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