By News Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives voted to add a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020 that would reclassify 911 dispatchers from Office and Administrative Support Occupations to Protective Service Occupations.
The 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act now moves to the Senate. If passed, 911 dispatchers would be reclassified in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) catalog.
U.S. Representatives Norma J. Torres (D-CA), a former 911 dispatcher, and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), a former FBI supervisory special agent and federal prosecutor, spearheaded the legislation to change that designation of dispatchers.
“For more than 17 years, I lived through the challenges and stress 911 dispatchers experience 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dispatchers are a critical link in the public safety chain that helps firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement officers do their jobs every day,” Torres said. “I’m proud that the House took this important step forward to give the nation’s 100,000 public safety telecommunicators their due and reclassify them as the protective service occupations that they are.”
Fitzpatrick said the bipartisan effort of the provision demonstrates the importance of the matter.
“As a former FBI supervisory special agent, I understand the lifesaving services [dispatchers] provide each and every day,” he said. “I look forward to continuing my work alongside Congresswoman Torres to get our 911 SAVES Act over the finish line.”