Torres and Fitzpatrick Lead Bipartisan Effort Urging OMB to Finally Recognize 9-1-1 Dispatchers as Protective Service Professionals

Torres and Fitzpatrick Lead Bipartisan Effort Urging OMB to Finally Recognize 9-1-1 Dispatchers as Protective Service Professionals

Washington D.C. - Today, Representatives Norma Torres (D-CA-35) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), led a bipartisan letter urging Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought to reclassify public safety telecommunicators under the Protective Service Occupations category in the 2028 update to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Torres is a former 9-1-1 dispatcher with the Los Angeles Police Department, while Fitzpatrick is a former FBI agent and EMT.

For decades, the federal government has classified 9-1-1 professionals alongside office and administrative support occupations despite the fact that they are the first first responders during emergencies. Public safety telecommunicators answer emergency calls, provide life-saving medical instructions, assess scene safety for responding officers and firefighters, and coordinate emergency response during some of the most traumatic moments in a person's life.

"As the first point of contact in emergencies, the professionals who answer calls to 9-1-1 provide life-saving emergency medical instruction to callers, assess scene safety for arriving responders, and have a critical role for a variety of emergencies," said the members "This is difficult work that often comes with high burnout rates and significant mental health impacts. Unfortunately, the SOC currently classifies these professionals among Office and Administrative Support Occupations (43-0000), which include secretaries, office clerks, and taxicab dispatchers. This classification is inaccurate and a disservice to their lifesaving work."

In the letter, the lawmakers note that public safety telecommunicators routinely provide emergency medical instructions, assess threats to first responders, coordinate police, fire, and EMS responses, and experience significant stress, trauma, and burnout as a result of their work. Despite these responsibilities, they remain federally classified in the same occupational category as clerks, secretaries, and taxicab dispatchers.

The lawmakers emphasize that OMB's ongoing review of the Standard Occupational Classification system presents an opportunity to correct this outdated designation and align federal policy with the modern realities of emergency communications.

Organizations endorsing the effort include: Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA), the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National League of Cities, PORAC, and local law enforcement agencies such as the Chino Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and San Bernardino Police Department

Full letter

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