Section 240.1541  Minimum Equipment Specifications for Emergency Home Response Service

a)         All EHRS equipment must be tested, approved, and meet the requirements in the Department's EHRS equipment and service policies found at the partner portal on the Department website.

b)         All home units must be capable of signaling from both the activation device remote and the base unit.

c)         Activation Device Specifications

1)         The activation device must be a portable and water-resistant type of wireless remote that meets the requirements in the Department's EHRS equipment and service policies.

2)         The activation device must be capable of conducting automatic battery testing and transmitting the results through the base unit to the support center on a regular basis.

3)         An adaptive version of the activation device must be available that can be used by hearing, mobility and visually-impaired participants.

d)         Base Unit Specifications

1)         The base unit must meet the Department's requirements including:

A)        an easily identifiable indicator to verify whether the batteries on the activation device and base unit are charged;

B)        an easily identifiable indicator that notifies the participant when the support center has received a signal;

C)        a battery that automatically charges whenever the base unit is powered and that maintains a charge for at least 12 hours when the electric power to the base unit is interrupted;

D)        transmission capability to signal the support center if the base unit battery fails or has a low charge, or electric power to the base unit is interrupted;

E)        the ability to allow two-way communication between the participant's home and the support center.  The support center must be able to control both the microphone sensitivity and speaker volume; and

F)        appropriate certification by the Federal Communications Commission under 47 CFR 15 and 47 CFR 68.

2)         The base unit must give both audible and visual confirmation of the signal status using digitized voice technology and lighting cues to help the participant stay calm while waiting on his or her designated emergency contact or other appropriate response to the situation directed by the support center.

3)         The base unit must reattempt signaling on a regular basis until the support center confirms its receipt.

e)         Support Center Specifications

1)         The EHRS support center must have back-up monitoring capacity to take over all monitoring functions and handle all incoming emergency signals.  It must have a back-up battery and electrical generating capacity, as well as telephone line monitoring abilities.

2)         All EHRS support center and back-up center equipment, at a minimum, must:

A)        monitor the EHRS system for the receipt of incoming signals from connected base units in participants' homes, including test transmissions and fault conditions, on a continuous basis;

B)        have an audible and visual alarm for the notification of all signals, including test transmissions and fault conditions;

C)        direct an appropriate response within one minute of the receipt of a signal as an operational average without disrupting or terminating the connection to the base unit in the participant's home, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including interpretation services and communication facilitated by a teletypewriter (TTY) communication device for individuals experiencing hearing loss or impairment;

D)        provide technical support as required, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year;

E)        identify each participant and simultaneously record all communication among the participant, support center and responder, as applicable, for all signals, including test transmissions and fault conditions;

F)         display, print and archive the participant identifier, date, time, communication and response period for each incoming signal, which must be maintained for at least a three year period for quality control and liability purposes;

G)        have an uninterruptible power supply back-up that will automatically take over system operation in the event electric power to the support center is interrupted, other type of malfunction occurs, or repairs are needed.  The back-up power supply must be sufficient to operate the entire system for a minimum of 12 hours;  

H)        have separate and independent primary and back-up receivers, computer servers, databases, and other components to provide an uninterruptible monitoring system in the event of equipment malfunction;

I)         perform self-diagnostic testing for malfunctions in equipment in participant homes and at the support center, and for fault conditions in the primary and back-up operating systems and power supply at the support center, that could interfere with receiving and responding to signals, such as non-operational receivers and transmitters, signals received with no communications, telephone line outages, power loss, etc.; and

J)         maintain appropriate certification by the Federal Communications Commission under 47 CFR 15 and 47 CFR 68.

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 11053, effective July 16, 2024)