All of the following are responsibilities of a public safety answering point EXCEPT:

• A. Receiving 911 calls
• B. Transferring or relaying emergency 911 calls to other public safety agencies
• C. Dispatching emergency response services directly
• D. The second point of reception by a public safety agency of a 911 call

Answer: (D)

A PSAP is the first point of contact for 911 calls and is responsible for taking the call, gathering essential information, determining the type and location of the incident, and getting the right responders moving. The call is then either handled at that center or transferred to the appropriate public safety agency. The idea of a “second point of reception” implies that the same call is re-received by another public safety agency after the PSAP has already taken it, which isn’t the PSAP’s duty. Once the PSAP has the call, its job is to connect it to the correct units or agencies and coordinate the response; it doesn’t re-receive the call as a second reception.

That’s why receiving 911 calls and transferring or relaying them to the appropriate agencies are core responsibilities, and dispatching emergency response services directly is within the scope of coordinating a response. The option describing a second reception by a public safety agency doesn’t fit the typical duties of a PSAP.