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Legislation reclassifying 9-1-1 dispatchers from Office and Administrative Support to Protective Service Occupations was approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives as an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), according to lawmakers.
U.S. Reps. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) reintroduced the bill, the 9-1-1 SAVES Act, in April.
“As a former 9-1-1 dispatcher, I know first-hand the challenges that our public safety dispatchers are faced with and the extraordinary work that they do to help save lives,” Torres said in a Sept. 24 statement. “Dispatchers are the first line of response during an emergency, and they deserve to be classified in a way that recognizes that their work is on par with the work of other public servants classified as first responders. That is why I am so pleased to announce that the 9-1-1 SAVES Act to reclassify them as emergency personnel passed the House as part of the FY22 NDAA…
