Mo. Rev. Stat. § 321.245

Current with changes from the 2024 Legislative Session

Section 321.245 - Personnel and equipment required for dispatching center

1. No central fire and emergency dispatching center shall qualify to receive any funds collected pursuant to section 321.243 and this section unless it meets or will meet, upon the acquisition or retention of equipment, real and personal property, and personnel, at least the following minimum equipment and personnel requirements:

(1) Two separate transmitters and receivers capable of operating on all working fire and emergency radio frequencies included in the area to be covered, together with monitor receivers for police frequencies, point-to-point police or local police dispatchers operating on a twenty-four-hour basis, plus an emergency power source capable of operating all equipment and lights necessary for dispatching for an indefinite period of time;

(2) Duo-multichannel recording equipment for all radio frequencies and telephone trunk "hot lines", complete with automatic transfer on failure of logging recorder and automatic time inserted on recorder and with instant playback on any channel at dispatcher's position without interruption of regular log recorder;

(3) A minimum of three trunk telephone lines designated as "hot lines" in reserve for "fire or emergency" calls only, plus such other lines as may be necessary to conduct the normal business of the center, which may also be used for fire or emergency purposes;

(4) A chief dispatcher to be in charge of operations, who shall be directly responsible to the management of the dispatching service;

(5) Sufficient senior dispatchers to provide twenty-four-hour attendance at the center;

(6) Such assistant dispatchers as may be necessary to provide two-person switchboard operation during certain hours as prescribed in section 321.243 and this section;

(7) Alarm circuits to engine houses from dispatching center shall be two of the following type systems: wired circuit or by telephone line; radio circuit or by tone signaling; or microwave radio circuit; or such other communications systems as may be developed in the future which provide reliable and accurate communications and which are not experimental in nature, so that upon failure of either circuit the other will operate independently, and both circuits must be capable of sounding alarm at any agency facility using the joint, central fire and emergency dispatching service;

(8) Radio alarm equipment at each agency facility using the joint, central fire and emergency dispatching service capable of operating without local utility power for a period of at least eight hours; and paging equipment for fire and emergency personnel; and

(9) Radio equipment, both mobile and portable, on all fire and emergency vehicles which answer alarms which will provide two-way voice communication between the equipment and the dispatching center.

2. A minimum of two dispatchers shall be on duty at all times in any central dispatching center between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. If only one dispatcher is on duty at other times, a twenty-minute watchman's check shall be maintained.

3. All dispatchers shall be at least eighteen years of age. Each dispatcher must be capable of operating all equipment used in the dispatching center.

4. Each dispatching center shall employ sufficient personnel to ensure that no person will be required to be on duty without at least twelve hours between shifts.

5. A central fire and emergency dispatching center meeting the requirements of this section shall qualify to receive any funds collected pursuant to section 321.243 and this section and to use such funds for the acquisition, use and maintenance of any property, both real and personal, and for such other uses or purposes as may be determined by the body governing the operations of the central fire and emergency dispatching center, and which are* necessary or advisable for the establishment, maintenance or operation of the central fire and emergency dispatch center.

§ 321.245, RSMo

L. 1969 S.B. 382 § 2, A.L. 1976 S.B. 489, A.L. 1979 H.B. 322, A.L. 1981 S.B. 166, A.L. 1987 H.B. 57, A.L. 1993 H.B. 550 merged with H.B. 910 merged with S.B. 346