1. The intent of the Legislature in enacting the Law Emergency Telecommunications Training Program (ETTP) was clearly to establish standards for the selection and training of emergency telecommunicators as soon as possible upon beginning the telecommunicator's career. This action was for the benefit of all the people of the state in that trained telecommunicators could better meet the needs of a complex society. Due to that very complex nature of today's society, coupled with the ever increasing demands for the services of the emergency telecommunicator professional, the need for competent, capable and credible telecommunicators has never been greater. The issue of competence has become a hotly debated topic in the nation's courts as the incidence of litigation against emergency telecommunicators for negligence continues to rise unabated. To further exacerbate matters, emergency telecommunications agencies, towns, cities, counties and even state levels of government are being named by litigants for negligence. Simply stated, the potential penalty for failure to do the right thing at the right time is so great that the state and local governments cannot afford to ignore the risks. In a large measure, training and standards reduce the risk potential for failure on the part of emergency telecommunicators. The Board's policy is to ensure that the established standards are enforced to the maximum extent practically possible and that telecommunicators receive needed training throughout their careers. As a part of ensuring that standards are met, the Board will strive to encourage agencies and telecommunicators to achieve compliance by utilizing every asset and resource available to the Board. 31 Miss. Code. R. 601-5.2
Miss Code Ann. § 19-5-353