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In September, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law a bill recognizing 911 dispatchers as first responders. For many on the job, it was a recognition long overdue. It’s a job that has more to it than meets the eye. They’re specially trained on which emergency vehicles to dispatch and sometimes even give lifesaving medical information over the phone.
“Whether they call the emergency line or the non-emergency line,” said Ronald Goossen, a Tompkins County emergency dispatch supervisor. “The dispatchers are the first contact someone has.”
Goossen has been working with emergency dispatch in Tompkins County since 2001. Thanks to a new law from Gov. Kathy Hochul, he, along with all 911 operators, are now considered first responders…
