Read Full Article | View Source

A federal bill has passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate that would reclassify 911 dispatchers as first responders. Currently, dispatchers are considered a clerical, administrative role. But, for those who do the job, and those who rely on them, they’re so much more.

At home, Damairus Reddick is a hero to his two little girls. At work, he’s a different kind of protector, cloaked in the darkness of the dimly-lit Peoria County Dispatch Center.

Reddick’s career choice was born from tragedy in his own life…