[Adopted FCB 2-3-2009 (Title 2, Ch. 2.57, of the 1986 Code)]
There is hereby established under the jurisdiction of the Mayor
a department of the City to be known as the "Dispatch Department"
("Department").
It shall be the function of the Department to provide and maintain
a primary and secondary public safety answering point for the City.
A.
The Department shall be headed by the Dispatch Director ("Director"), who shall be appointed by the Mayor upon recommendation of the Dispatch Advisory Committee described in Subsection B. The Dispatch Director shall be appointed for a term of three years, may be reappointed, and shall be subject to removal with cause.
B.
The Director shall report to the Dispatch Advisory Committee (the
"Committee"), which shall be comprised of the Mayor, the Commissioner
of the Police Department, the Commissioner of the Fire Department,
the Director of 3-1-1, the Chief Information Officer, and the Chief
Administrative and Financial Officer, or their designees. The Committee
shall:
(1)
Recommend to the Mayor candidates for the position of Director;
(2)
Establish the Department's goals, objectives, and performance targets;
(3)
Adopt and revise, as needed, the Department's policies and procedures;
(4)
Provide periodic performance evaluations of the Department's management
staff; and
(5)
Appoint an operations subcommittee or other subcommittees as needed
to carry out the work of the Committee; include, as needed, on such
committees membership from the City's ambulance service provider.
C.
The Director shall be responsible for the performance of the functions
of the Department and shall:
(1)
Have management responsibility and general superintendence over the
functions, programs, services, operations, activities and facilities
of the Department.
(2)
Manage the budget for the Department, which shall include all items
of revenue and ordinary maintenance, salary and capital expenditures,
in accordance with the policies and requirements of the Committee
and the Mayor.
(3)
Administer the award and implementation of contracts concerning matters
under the responsibility of the Department and payable from funds
appropriated to the Department.
(4)
Provide and maintain all radio, telecommunications, audio, video,
and mobile data services and facilities necessary for operations of
the Department as a primary public safety answering point and necessary
for communications with emergency services via radio and data. The
Department's access to data and information contained in these systems
shall be governed by the Committee.
(5)
Operate and maintain a central communication center and a secondary
communications center, as necessary, for all public safety communications,
keep audio recording of emergency telephone activity and public safety
radio transmissions, and make the same available to public safety
agencies as their needs might require.
(6)
Supervise and direct the employees in the Department by establishing
rules, polices and practices governing the operations of the Department;
assigning tasks and establishing priorities, deadlines and work schedules;
approving requests for vacation leave and other time off; training
or providing for the training of employees in the specialized tasks
of the Department; evaluating the performance of individual employees
in the Department; recommending promotions and honors and disciplining
personnel at any level, including suspensions for more than five working
days.
(7)
Keep the Committee informed of the activities and needs of the Department
and provide the Committee with the information developed by the Department
which would have a material impact on the peace, security and good
order of the City.
(8)
Seek the advice and approval of the Committee prior to changing any
existing policy or initiating any new programs or service.
(9)
Prepare prompt and thorough response to requests for reports, memoranda,
opinions or other documents or actions as may be requested by the
Mayor and the Committee.
(10)
Identify, acquire, maintain and renew any license necessary
or useful in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of this
section.
(11)
Allocate and assign various portions of the radio and telecommunications
facilities of the City to the various City departments and agencies.
(12)
Ensure compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations
concerning the radio and telecommunications facilities and services
provided by the Department.
(13)
Administer the Department and its employees and inform the head
of City departments or divisions whenever employees of such departments
or divisions fail to comply with applicable laws, regulations, training
or practices required or recommended by the Department.
(14)
Perform such other dispatch and communications tasks and functions
as may be requested by the Committee and Mayor.
(15)
Ensure that all actions of the Department are taken in accordance
with all executive orders and administrative directives issued by
the Mayor, policies of the Committee, policies of the Police and Fire
Departments, the financial procedures of the City, the provisions
of these revised ordinances, the City Charter, the Constitutions and
the laws of the Commonwealth and the United States.
(16)
Have care custody and control of the property, including real
property and tangible and intangible property, that has been, or may
be, allocated to the Department.
(17)
Determine the priorities of the Department and prepare long-range
strategic plans and objectives consistent with the strategic direction
of the Committee.
(18)
Prepare, implement, evaluate and improve Department operations,
programs, projects, and interoperability in accordance with the goals
and objectives established for the Department by the Committee.
The Department shall consist of the Director and such other
personnel as from time to time shall be authorized.
A.
To the extent permitted by law or regulation, the Director, with
the approval of the Mayor and the Committee, may issue licenses to
any public or private entity interested in utilizing any radio or
telecommunications service or facility under the care, custody and
control of the Department. No such license shall be issued unless:
(1)
The Director determines in writing that the service or facility usage
permitted by the license shall not materially diminish the radio or
telecommunications services or facilities required by the City departments
and agencies; and
(2)
The licensee pays a license fee to the City as established by City
ordinance.
B.
The Director shall, with the approval of the Mayor, establish appropriate
fees for such licenses. Any license issue under this section shall
not exceed a term of 12 months, but may be renewable or self-renewable
for additional one-year periods, and shall be revocable at the will
of the Director.
Nothing in this article shall be deemed to conflict with the
General Laws or abridge the authority vested in the Mayor, the Commissioner
of the Police Department, or the Commissioner of the Fire Department.
The Director, with the approval of the Committee, may promulgate
such rules and regulations as may be deemed necessary or proper to
carry out the purposes of this article.
[Added 5-20-2011]
A.
The purpose of this section is to establish language access, consistent
with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 560 CMR and Enhanced
911 guidelines provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for public
safety services as provided through the Emergency Dispatch Center
of the City of Springfield.
B.
The Dispatch Director shall facilitate the development of protocol
and procedures for language access to public safety services, including
the Police Department, Fire Department, EMS provider, and Emergency
Dispatch Center. Such protocol and procedures shall be included in
a language access plan for the limited English proficient (LEP) public
during 9-1-1 calls, emergency situations in the field, "walk-in" emergencies,
and nonemergency situations while accessing public safety services
in the City.
C.
Public safety services, including the Police Department, Fire Department,
EMS provider, and Emergency Dispatch Center, and any other City department
utilizing language access programs as identified by the Dispatch Director,
shall establish written protocol and procedures for their members
to follow when encountering a LEP person. Each commissioner/director
of these departments is responsible for ensuring full compliance with
this section and the protocol and procedures developed by the Dispatch
Director.
D.
The Dispatch Director shall coordinate an outreach program to educate
the LEP public about how to access language services during emergencies
or other public-safety-related situations. Outreach shall specifically
include providing instructions in multiple languages for use by public
safety personnel on how to access language services.
E.
The Dispatch Director will assist the City's public safety services
in meeting the training needs for personnel to carry out language
access policies.
F.
The Dispatch Director shall make himself or herself available to
the community to review reports from residents regarding language
access issues that arise, and will be responsible for resolving these
issues.
G.
The Dispatch Director shall provide an annual report to the Mayor
and City Council for public dissemination detailing the LEP numbers
served, training provided, review of problems addressed, and recommendations
for policy changes.
H.
All language access programs and policies referenced in Subsections B and C of this section shall be made available for public access at the main office of the department for which the program or policy was created upon completion of its drafting according to the implementation requirements set forth in Subsection I.
I.
The Dispatch Director shall submit a language access plan adherent to Subsection B within 30 days of the date of passage of this section.
J.
Each City department utilizing language access programs shall establish
written policies regarding such within 60 days of passage of this
section.
