Lawmakers reintroduce bill to reclassify 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders ems1.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ems1.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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.
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Colorado’s 911 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 at-home illnesses. They have navigated quarantine-induced staffing shortages and, in most communities, including ours, no ability to work from home. Like other first responders, they have sacrificed and persevered so that when anyone dials 911, someone is there to help.
Sadly, while the federal government and statehouses across the country have designated 911 professionals as essential workers throughout the pandemic, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Standard Occupation Classification System categorizes public safety telecommunicators the industry term for frontline 911 professio