WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate passed the Enhancing First Response Act (S. 725), advancing legislation that would reclassify 911 dispatchers as public safety workers and strengthen the nation’s emergency communications system.
Currently, public safety telecommunicators are listed under “Office and Administrative Support” in the federal Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Advocates argue this outdated designation fails to capture the critical, lifesaving role dispatchers play alongside police, fire and EMS personnel.
If enacted, the bill would direct the Office of Management and Budget to reclassify dispatchers as “Protective Service Occupations,” formally recognizing them as part of the public safety community, according to NENA.
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Why the Enhancing First Response Act matters
Every day, 911 professionals serve as the “first” first responders — answering emergency calls, providing medical instructions, coordinating responses and gathering vital information that protects both civilians and first responders.
“Reclassifying Public Safety Telecommunicators as Protective Service Occupations is a long-overdue correction that recognizes their indispensable role in public safety,” said John Provenzano, CEO of NENA: The 911 Association.
APCO International, another leading voice in public safety communications, echoed that sentiment. “They answer our calls for help and engage in skilled real-time decision-making that saves lives,” said APCO CEO Mel Maier.
What’s in S. 725
The Enhancing First Response Act (S. 725) goes beyond reclassification. It also includes provisions aimed at improving the reliability of the nation’s 911 system:
- Disaster resilience: Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue reports after major natural disasters on how outages impacted access to 911, and to recommend improvements.
- Outage reporting: Directs the FCC to study unreported 911 outages and develop recommendations for more transparent communication between mobile carriers and 911 centers.
- Kari’s Law compliance: Mandates a report on whether multi-line phone systems allow callers to reach 911 without dialing an extra prefix, a requirement under legislation passed in 2018.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), said the measure will save lives by “improving Americans’ abilities to connect to 911, including during major disasters, and strengthening the resiliency of our 911 system against outages and disruptions.”
Blackburn emphasized the recognition piece: “The [bill] takes necessary steps to prevent 911 service disruptions, properly recognize dispatchers for their lifesaving work, and further study how we can make improvements to the 911 emergency response system.”
What happens next: First responder legislation
The Senate passed the bill on Sept. 10. A companion bill, the 911 SAVES Act (H.R. 637), is moving forward in the U.S. House of Representatives, sponsored by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Norma Torres (D-CA).
Advocates say they are hopeful the House will act swiftly. “On behalf of the tens of thousands of 911 professionals nationwide, NENA applauds today’s action by the U.S. Senate,” Provenzano said. “We are hopeful the House of Representatives will pass this common-sense change as soon as possible.”
If the legislation clears the House and is signed into law, dispatchers across the country would be recognized in federal workforce classifications as the public safety professionals they are.
