During the 1999 Legislative Session, House Bill 2269 was passed, amending Chapter 16 Article 4C of the West Virginia State Code, authorizing the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services to "register early defibrillation programs". Working in partnership with the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, EMS, fire fighting, and law enforcement communities, the Legislation established definitions and criteria for entities providing early defibrillation programs including training, medical direction, protocols, and notification of local EMS systems.

The 1999 Legislature agreed with the scientific findings of the American Heart Association and others that as many as 250,000 Americans each year suffer from out-of-​hospital sudden cardiac arrest. The medical/scientific community believes that 95% of these incidents result in death, and many of these deaths can be prevented if properly trained individuals could provide early automatic external defibrillation. The Legislature felt very strongly that communities have invested significantly in enhanced 911 and emergency medical services systems. They indicated that early defibrillation programs had to meet certain standards and be coordinated with local 911 and EMS systems.

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