A bipartisan bill would reclassify the public safety telecommunicator as a "Protective Service Occupation."
Brandon Miller-Guss and Angie Dobyns
Guest columnists
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Iowa’s 9-1-1 professionals have been there for us, 24/7.
They have prioritized our health and safety over their own by continuing to work in close quarters, often without access to vital personal protective equipment. They have dealt with constantly changing emergency-response protocols and surges in calls about domestic violence, mental-health crises, and serious illnesses. They have navigated quarantine-induced staffing shortages with limited ability to work from home. Like other first responders, they have sacrificed and persevered so that when anyone dials 9-1-1, someone is there to help.