ASSEMBLY, No. 2104
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
211th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 9, 2004
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA
District 15 (Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires municipal police forces to have cardiac defibrillators; establishes minimum number of units for each municipality.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning police training and supplementing P.L.1961, c.56.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. A person who enrolls in police officer training after the effective date of this act shall be certified as a First Responder-D as a condition for permanent appointment as a police officer. The curriculum of a school approved by the Police Training Commission to offer police training courses pursuant to P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-66 et seq.) shall include training for First Responder-D certification.
As used in this act:
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services.
"First Responder-D" means a person who has been trained to provide emergency medical first response services in a program recognized by the commissioner, and is certified by the commissioner to perform cardiac defibrillation.
"Police officer" means any permanent, full-time, active member of any police force or organization of any municipality or county, or the State Police.
2. a. A police officer who has been certified by the commissioner as a First Responder-D may perform cardiac defibrillation, with or without assistance, according to rules and regulations adopted by the commissioner.
b. A police officer shall meet written standards and application procedures established by the commissioner in order to obtain certification as a First Responder-D. The commissioner shall certify a candidate who provides evidence of satisfactory completion of an educational program which includes training in the performance of cardiac defibrillation and which is approved by the commissioner, and who passes an examination in the performance of cardiac defibrillation which is approved by the commissioner.
c. The commissioner shall maintain a register of all police officers who apply for certification as a First Responder-D which shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) The name and residence of the applicant;
(2) The date of the application; and
(3) Whether the applicant was rejected or approved and the date of that action.
d. The commissioner shall include police officers who receive First Responder-D certification in the list of certified First Responder-D's compiled annually pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1989, c.314 (C.26:2K-40).
3. The commissioner, after notice and a hearing, may revoke a police officer's First Responder-D certification for a violation of any provision of this act or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this act.
4. A First Responder-D certified police officer shall not be liable for any civil damages as the result of an act or the omission of an act committed while in training to perform, or in the performance of, cardiac defibrillation in good faith and in accordance with this act.
5. Nothing in this act shall be construed to permit a First Responder-D certified police officer to perform the duties or fill the position of a health professional employed by a hospital, except that the First Responder-D certified police officer may perform those functions that are necessary to assure the orderly transfer of a traffic accident victim or other emergency patient receiving pre-hospital care to hospital staff upon arrival at an emergency department and that are necessary to obtain the clinical training in the performance of cardiac defibrillation required by the department.
6. Nothing in this act shall be construed as interfering with an emergency service training program authorized and operated under the provisions of the "New Jersey Highway Traffic Safety Act of 1987," P.L.1987, c.284 (C.27:5F-18 et seq.).
7. The commissioner, in conjunction with the Police Training Commission, shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
8. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month after enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the curriculum for police training courses to include First Responder-D training, so that all new police officers become First Responder-D certified. A First Responder-D is defined in the bill as a police officer, firefighter or other person who has been trained to provide emergency medical first response services in a program recognized by the Commissioner of Health, and is certified by the commissioner to perform cardiac defibrillation.
Currently, all police officers receive First Responder training based on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration curriculum, which does not include training in cardiac defibrillation. The responsibilities of police officers often place them first at the scene in urgent situations, some of which are life-threatening. Requiring First Responder-D certification would better prepare police officers to handle situations that require advanced emergency medical services.
A tragic incident in Princeton has prompted the reexamination of the provision of emergency medical services. Providing more advanced training to police would increase the availability of emergency assistance in life-threatening medical situations.