NASHVILLE – Tennessee 911 call operators and public safety dispatchers are now required to be trained and offer emergency CPR instruction by telephone under a new state law that took effect Jan. 1.
The law, which also extends civil liability protections to the emergency workers, is intended to address a situation in which not all Tennessee counties permit personnel to provide T-CPR, or telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation directions, to callers dealing with emergency cardiac events.
It is one of a handful of laws passed in 2020 that took effect on New Year’s Day.
Other new laws include:
Tennessee Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: In an effort to ensure pregnant workers have reasonable accommodations in the workplace, lawmakers passed a law which sets a presumption that any reasonable accommodations provided for employees with medical conditions be extended to employees who are pregnant. It also establishes clear guidelines for employers and employees on how to navigate pregnancy in the workplace.