Reclassifying Public Safety Dispatchers as First Responders

Public Safety Telecommunicators, also known as 911 Dispatchers job classification, needs to be updated. Again, legislation has been put before Congress to change our status from clerical to first responder. 

Why should we (as a group) care? 

Our jobs are important. We were part of the few groups who come to work every day, no matter what is going on. If we mess up, people can die. 

 APCO sent out the following email yesterday:

"I, and I am sure you all did too, received an email yesterday from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and APCO regarding Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) and former LAPD Dispatcher and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) reintroducing the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act, the "911 SAVES Act", for consideration during the 2023-2024 session of Congress."

"If enacted, this bipartisan legislation would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to categorize public safety telecommunicators as Protective Service Occupations in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). The SOC is maintained solely for statistical purposes. Public safety telecommunicators are currently classified as administrative/clerical in nature, which is outdated and inaccurate. Reclassification is about appropriately recognizing the critical, "protective" work public safety telecommunicators do every day."

"Additionally, including public safety telecommunicators in the Protective Service group would make the SOC a more accurate and therefore useful statistical resource. The 9-1-1 SAVES Act is a legislative fix that has broad support from the 9-1-1 community and others familiar with our lifesaving work."

"APCO first attempted to correct the classification in 2014, petitioning OMB, the agency responsible for the SOC. APCO described the protective work performed by public safety telecommunicators and how it has evolved since the SOC was created. OMB offered several justifications for maintaining the status quo, and despite APCO's comprehensive rebuttals, OMB declined to fix the classification. APCO has collaborated with Rep. Torres and Rep. Fitzpatrick since 2019 to seek a legislative solution."

"The 911 SAVES Act would cost nothing to implement but would give 9-1-1 professionals the respect they deserve, as well as greater equity in benefits such as mental health support and the ability to apply for government grants. Reclassification also would aid research into the mental and physical impacts of 9-1-1."

"The following link will take you to a votervoice.net website where you will enter your name, phone number, email address, and residence address and it pre-composes an email regarding asking for support for the 9-1-1 SAVES Act and sends it to your local Representatives and Senators."

 votervoice.net/NENA/Campaigns/108990/Respond

ALL DISPATCHERS need to respond to this even if you are not a member of NENA or APCO.

http://votervoice.net/Shares/BUPscAUGBC-maAkID4c7FAA