Illinois Administrative Code › Title 83 - PUBLIC UTILITIES › Part 1325 - STANDARDS OF SERVICE APPLICABLE TO 9-1-1 EMERGENCY SYSTEMS › Subpart D - STANDARDS OF SERVICE › Section 1325.415 - Answering Points - PSAP, Backup PSAP, SAP and VAP

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) All 9-1-1 CPE used by a PSAP, SAP or VAP must
				be compatible with the 9-1-1 system provider's equipment and transport
				arrangements.
b) Each PSAP, after
				consultation with the 9-1-1 system provider, shall designate an area of adequate
				size to be used by the 9-1-1 system provider for termination of the company's lines
				and equipment.
c) The CPE shall indicate
				incoming calls by both audible and visible signals for each 9-1-1 circuit. Each
				outgoing circuit shall have a visual display of its status.
d) Each 9-1-1 answering position shall have access
				to all incoming 9-1-1 circuits and outgoing circuits.
e) The CPE shall be designed to achieve transfers
				with at least 99.9 % completion. This may require the use of dedicated facilities
				between the PSAPs. When the telecommunicator verifies that the transfer has been
				completed and the telecommunicator's services are no longer required, the
				telecommunicator may manually release himself/herself from the emergency call,
				provided that the CPE is so designed. A 9-1-1 system should be designed so that an
				emergency call will never be transferred more than once; however, there could be
				circumstances beyond the PSAP's control that might warrant more than one
				transfer.
f) Each answering position
				shall have direct access to an operational teletypewriter or its equivalent, and all
				PSAP, SAP and VAP telecommunicators shall be trained in its use at least every six
				months. The 9-1-1 Authority will ensure that TTY equipment or its equivalent is
				available to continue service in the event of emergency, malfunction or power
				failure.
g) At a minimum, each PSAP
				shall have at least two fully equipped answering positions. The staffing levels and
				the number of positions beyond this requirement shall be determined by the 9-1-1
				Authority based on call volume and average length of calls (i.e., if PSAP is
				responsible for EMD, call processing could take longer and require additional
				telecommunicators). Overflow emergency calls shall be routed to a backup PSAP as
				provided for in subsection (i).
h) The
				9-1-1 Authority is responsible for ensuring that its PSAPs, backup PSAPs and SAPs
				provide continuous and uninterrupted operation 24 hours per day, 7 days a
				week.
i) Backup PSAP
1) Each 9-1-1 system shall have a backup PSAP that
				must operate independently from the primary PSAP. The backup PSAP must have the
				capability to dispatch (by either direct, transfer or call relay methods) the
				appropriate public safety agencies for that 9-1-1 system. A backup PSAP shall meet
				the same standards as the primary PSAP, except as provided for in subsection
				(i)(2).
2) In a 9-1-1 system with a
				population of fewer than 10,000, when the system has demonstrated that the
				requirements of subsections (g), (h) and (i) would place an undue financial burden
				on the system, the 9-1-1 Authority can ask the Administrator for an exemption from
				having a full feature, manned backup PSAP. A 9-1-1 system operating under this
				exemption should, as funds become available, upgrade its backup PSAP capability to
				meet those standards specified in subsections (g), (h) and (i)(1). If the system
				ever exceeds 5,000 billable access lines for a period of one year, it shall upgrade
				to meet the standards specified in subsections (g), (h) and (i)(1). For those
				systems operating under this exemption, some alternative form of backup shall be
				required. The backup PSAP requirement may be met by one of the following:
A) An unattended PSAP shall have:
i) the capability to provide 9-1-1
				service;
ii) the communication equipment
				necessary to dispatch emergency services;
iii) a backup power supply;
iv) the ability to communicate via TTY; and
v) the capability to be immediately
				activated with authorized and trained personnel; or
B) Some other method that the 9-1-1 Authority must
				be able to demonstrate, in its request for an exemption, would meet the public
				safety needs of its community by being able to take 9-1-1 calls and dispatch them
				successfully on a temporary basis in an emergency situation.