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The bill would reclassify 911 dispatchers as Protective Service Occupations
FREDERICK COUNTY, Va. (WDVM) — Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are considering a bill to change the classification of 911 operators, a move dispatchers say would be a positive change in a stressful field.
According to the U.S. government’s Standard Occupational Classification System, 911 dispatchers are considered secretarial positions — making them different than first responders.
“We do so much more than answer the phone,” said Tara Vann, the second shift supervisor at the Frederick County Emergency Communications Center. “We’re the thin gold line. We’re the line between the blue and the red that kind of keeps it all together.”
House Bill H.R. 1629, also known as the 911 Saves Act, would change the classification, making the role of a dispatcher a Protective Service Occupation. The bill, introduced by former 911 dispatcher and now California Congresswoman Norma Torres, would also allow dispatchers to retire at an earlier point in their career, equivalent to those in law enforcement or fire rescue.
