Section 625-5-2 - DEFINITIONSA.Bureau. "Bureau" means the Emergency Services Communication BureauB.Commission. "Commission" means the Maine Public Utilities Commission. C.Compliance to Protocol. "Compliance to Protocol" means adherence to written text or scripts and other processes within the approved Emergency Fire Dispatch Priority Reference System (EFDPRS) except to the extent that deviation from the text or script is necessary for the express purpose of clarifying the meaning or intent of a question or facilitating clear understanding of a required action, instruction, or response from the caller. D.Continuing Dispatcher Education (CDE). "Continuing Dispatcher Education" means fire dispatch relevant educational experiences in accordance with standards set forth in national standards established for the practice of Emergency Fire Dispatch.E.Dispatch Life Support. "Dispatch Life Support" means the knowledge, procedures, and skills used by trained EFDs in proving service through Pre-Arrival Instructions and Post-Dispatch Instructions to callers requesting fire service assistance.F.Emergency Fire Dispatcher (EFD). "Emergency Fire Dispatcher" means a person trained to provide Emergency Fire Dispatch and certified in accordance with this chapter.G.Emergency Fire Dispatch. "Emergency Fire Dispatch" means the reception, evaluation, processing, and provision of dispatch life support, management of requests for emergency fire assistance, and participation in ongoing evaluation and improvement of the Emergency Fire Dispatch process. This process includes identifying the nature of the request, prioritizing the severity of the request, dispatching the necessary resources, providing safety related instructions to the callers and coordinating the responding resources as needed.H.Emergency Fire Dispatch Agency (EFDA). "Emergency Fire Dispatch Agency" means any company, organization or government agency that provides Emergency Fire Dispatch in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.I.Emergency Fire Dispatch Director. "Emergency Fire Dispatch Director" means a management level employee of an EFDA or of the Fire Authority Having Jurisdiction, possessing primary responsibility for oversight and direction of the Emergency Fire Dispatch program.J.Emergency Fire Dispatch Priority Reference System (EFDPRS)."Emergency Fire Dispatch Priority Reference System" means a system approved the Bureau with the following attributes: 1. A protocol for Emergency Fire Dispatch response to calls that includes:a. Verification of address/location, phone number;b. Chief complaint/incident type selection;c. Systemized interrogation questions;d. Post-dispatch instructions;e. Pre-arrival instructions; and f. Dispatch Code Selection 2. A continuous quality improvement program that measures compliance with the protocol through ongoing random case review of each emergency fire dispatcher; and 3. A training curriculum and testing process consistent with the protocol.K.Emergency Fire Dispatch Protocol Vendor. "Emergency Fire Dispatch Protocol Vendor" or "Protocol Vendor" means the vendor contracted by the Bureau to provide the approved Emergency Fire Dispatch Priority Reference System.L.Fire Authority Having Jurisdiction. "Fire Authority Having Jurisdiction" means the entity with Emergency Fire Dispatch process oversight, responsibility and accountability for the fire service operational aspects of an EFDA including: responsibility for the decision making process and instructions rendered by an EFD and the EFDA; approval of the operational EFDPRS; direct participation in the Emergency Fire Dispatch system evaluation, and continuous quality improvement processes. This entity could be, but is not limited to Fire Department(s), Fire Service Chief Officer(s), or Fire Service Board(s).M.Post-Dispatch Instructions. "Post-Dispatch Instructions" means case-specific advice, warnings, and instructions given by trained EFDs whenever possible and appropriate after dispatching field responders. N.Pre-Arrival Instructions. "Pre-Arrival Instructions" means telephone rendered, scripted instructions provided by a trained EFD to callers that help to provide aid to the victim and control the situation prior to arrival of fire personnel. O.Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). "Public Safety Answering Point" has the same meaning as set forth in 25 M.R.S. §2921.P.Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement Program (QA/QI). "Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement Program" means a program approved by the Bureau and administered by an EFDA for the purpose of insuring safe, efficient, and effective performance of EFDs in connection with the use of the EFDPRS. 65- 625 C.M.R. ch. 5, § 2