New Rhode Island Law Requires CPR Training For 911 Operators

PROVIDENCE, RI — Emergency dispatch operators in Rhode Island are now required to be certified in telephone CPR, according to a new law. Gov. Dan McKee signed the bill into law Tuesday.

The new law creates a system to review and improve quality on 911 calls, as well as requires all operators to be trained in telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It was introduced after several people died because bystanders were unable to perform CPR, the bill's sponsors said.

"911 operators are the real first responders and can make the difference between life and death,” said Rep. Mia Ackerman, the House sponsor. "When CPR starts before the arrival of an emergency medical technician, the person in cardiac arrest is two-to-three times more likely to survive. T-CPR can help untrained callers provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation."

In 2018, a 45-year-old woman named Rena Fleury died after going into cardiac arrest at a Cumberland High School football game, the bill's sponsors said. The 911 operators did not recognize that Fleury was having a heart attack, they said, and did not offer CPR instructions to the caller.

"By training 911 operators in telecommunicator CPR, we save precious time by allowing a caller to begin lifesaving actions immediately, rather than have to wait for the arrival of rescue personnel," said Sen. Maryellen Goodwin, the Senate sponsor. "In addition, this legislation also establishes a comprehensive call review and quality improvement program."

According to the American Heart Association, about 350,000 sudden cardiac arrests happen outside the hospital each year. The organization strongly endorses T-CPR requirements.

"Implementing a policy where operators trained in T-CPR are always on duty could save countless lives," Ackerman continued. "Emergency telecommunicators are a vital link in the lifesaving chain, and this legislation will help to ensure that CPR is being performed before emergency medical personnel arrive."