States Focus on Bolstering the 911 Workforce

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Introduction

The 911 emergency response system serves as the critical first point of contact during emergencies, with an estimated 240 million calls are made to 911 call centers, also known as public safety answering points (PSAPs), in the U.S. annually.

At the core of this system are public safety telecommunicators, sometimes referred to as 911, telecommunicators, call takers or dispatchers, who set the emergency response process in motion. Their role extends far beyond answering phones. They dispatch emergency medical services, conduct specialized training and provide life-saving advice to callers.

The strength and efficiency of the emergency response process relies heavily on a consistent, highly trained 911 workforce. However, the 911 sector faces significant staffing challenges, including difficulties hiring and retaining personnel. According to a joint survey by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) and the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA), this issue affects every state and all types of 911 PSAPs, from urban to rural areas.

The survey also revealed that the average vacancy rate for public safety telecommunicators and emergency dispatchers nationwide was approximately 25% from 2019 to 2022, indicating that one in four positions needed to be filled.

Respondents cited work hours, job stress and wages as primary factors driving telecommunicators and emergency dispatchers to leave the profession. The National Emergency Number Association's (NENA) 2024 Pulse of 911 State of the Industry survey, conducted in partnership with Carbyne, further highlighted this issue, revealing that 82% of PSAPs struggled with staffing shortages in 2024.

The duties of public safety telecommunicators also continue to evolve as technology advances and Next Generation 911, an internet protocol-based system, is integrated nationwide. What was once a role that relied heavily on telephone voice communication to determine the appropriate response to an emergency can now involve integrating different types of media such as texts, photos and videos directly from the public.

Recognizing the crucial role of public safety telecommunicators, states have enacted legislation to support the profession and address current challenges. This report covers key state legislative policies to address these challenges, including:

• Reclassifying public safety telecommunicators.
• Improving mental health benefits.
• Enhancing training standards.
• Expanding retirement benefits.
• Federal efforts to support the 911 workforce.

Reclassifying Public Safety Telecommunicators

Some states, along with the federal government, classify public safety telecommunicators as clerical workers, unlike police, firefighters and other key public safety officials who fall under a more accurate classification such as emergency first responder. Reclassifying public safety telecommunicators as first responders or a related title is viewed as a method to better reflect the central role they play in public safety.

Additionally, reclassification may help in recruiting and retaining staff due to more accurate expectations of the role and increased benefits that may accrue under a new classification.

According to NHTSA, 25 states have enacted legislation or adopted resolutions to classify public safety telecommunicators, or their state's respective titles, as first responders or other public safety occupations. Colorado, Delaware and Missouri are some of the most recent states to reclassify.

Colorado (HB 1016, 2024) defined "emergency communications specialist" as a first responder whose duties include triaging, processing or dispatching emergency and nonemergency 911 calls for public safety services, processing relevant emergency information to the public or other field responders or providing emergency medical dispatch. The state's new law also clarified that fees from the emergency telephone charge, the 911 surcharge and the prepaid wireless 911 charge, which are used to train some PSAP personnel, must include training for emergency communications specialists and personnel essential to providing emergency services.

Delaware (SB 36, 2023) clarified that a 911 dispatcher is considered a first responder, responsible for handling calls for both emergency and non-emergency assistance and dispatching law enforcement, firefighting, rescue, or emergency medical units such as an ambulance, from any 911 dispatch center.

Missouri (SB 24, 2023) added "telecommunicator first responders" to the definition of "first responder," which applies to individuals trained and authorized to provide emergency medical assistance or treatment, along with police officers and others. The law also allows telecommunicators to access state-funded mental health resources because of work-related PTSD

Improving Mental Health Benefits

Public safety telecommunicators' repeated exposure to tragic events can have lasting mental effects. Additionally, it's often assumed that telecommunicators, due to their remote location away from emergency events, are less vulnerable to trauma exposure compared to first responders on the scene. However, research challenges this assumption, revealing a lack of empirical support, which shows that telecommunicators may be at equal or even greater risk for PTSD than firefighters and police officers. In response, states are exploring legislative approaches to better support the mental health needs of 911 professionals. These efforts include qualifying them for benefits like workers' compensation or enhanced healthcare coverage for conditions such as PTSD.

One approach is through reclassification. Nevada, Idaho and Oregon expanded mental health benefits for public safety telecommunicators in 2019. Nevada (AB 492) and Idaho (SB 1028) added telecommunicators or dispatchers to their definitions of first responder, a profession that qualifies for workers' compensation for PTSD. Similarly, Oregon (SB 507) added "full-time paid emergency dispatcher or 9-1-1 emergency operator" to the designated list of public safety disciplines eligible for workers' compensation for PTSD.

Additionally, some states have enacted standalone legislation specifically designed to provide mental health assistance to public safety telecommunicators.

Arizona (HB 2717, 2023) added 911 dispatchers to the list of professionals who may qualify to participate in the Traumatic Event Counseling Program offered to public safety employees, peace officers and firefighters. The law qualifies 911 dispatchers for the program if they audibly witness a death or severe injury or hear the aftermath of such events. Previously, the program only extended eligibility to those who visually witnessed such events or were directly involved in certain criminal investigations or rescues that put their lives in danger.

Similarly, Colorado (SB 26, 2020) closed a loophole that previously excluded telecommunicators from receiving workers' compensation for PTSD. The new law provides compensation for 911 professionals who experience audible psychological trauma, broadening coverage beyond those who visibly witness injury or death.

Illinois (SB 3538, 2024) required counties and municipalities that self-insure-meaning they assume financial responsibility for their employees' health benefits-to include mental health counseling in their employee health coverage for first responders, including public safety telecommunicators. This coverage must be provided without deductibles, coinsurance or copayments and include therapy sessions from licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors or psychologists, by June 1, 2025.

Enhancing Training Standards

Some states and counties have yet to establish minimum or standardized training requirements, which can make it challenging for public safety telecommunicators to meet the demands of their jobs. According to NENA's 2024 Pulse of 911 State of the Industry survey, despite significant investments in training, only 37.5% of respondents feel adequately trained enough to handle most crises. Moreover, this sense of inadequacy tends to increase with the size of the call center, with 44% of telecommunicators in centers with 50 or more employees feeling underprepared, compared to 31% in smaller centers with up to 10 employees.

To better equip public safety telecommunicators with the highly specialized training and skills they must acquire to perform their jobs, legislatures have begun to require specialized training opportunities for telecommunicators.

Indiana (SB 158, 2022) required local municipalities to establish public safety telecommunicator training procedures for PSAP by Dec. 31, 2023. The minimum basic training program requirements include a 40-hour telecommunicator course, emergency medical, police and fire dispatch protocol training and a telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) course if not provided in dispatch training. Telecommunicators must complete the training within one year of implementation or hire date, and beginning Jan. 1, 2024, they must complete 24 hours of continuing education annually. Local units operating a PSAP must establish procedures for certifying and credentialing telecommunicators who complete the training requirements. The costs associated with the basic training courses are considered operating expenses of the statewide 911 system and are eligible for reimbursement by the state 911 board.

Kentucky (HB 782, 2024) established the Public Safety Telecommunicator Work Group, including members from the state Department of Criminal Justice Training and the state chapter of the National Emergency Number Association, to create a "public safety telecommunicator academy" with in-person and online training components. The academy must provide at least 160 hours of training, approved by the Law Enforcement Council, by July 1, 2026.

Part-time telecommunicators hired before this date must complete the previous 40-hour online "Telecommunicator Overview Training" and the new academy training after July 1, 2026. Telecommunicators who were not previously certified must complete the academy within 12 months of their hire. Additionally, those with access to the state's Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) must now complete eight hours of CJIS training annually, instead of every two years, through the Kentucky State Police CJIS Services Agency. This training is mandatory before accessing CJIS data and delivering it to law enforcement.

New Mexico (SB 19, 2023) established the New Mexico Law Enforcement Standards and Training Council to oversee training for law enforcement officers and public safety telecommunicators. The 11-member council, appointed by the governor, must include two public safety telecommunicators-one specializing in fire and telecommunications services and one from a rural area-as well as two citizen members with ties to law enforcement or telecommunications, among other members.

The council must work with the Law Enforcement Certification Board to set professional standards and create a telecommunicator certification program based on national standards and performance-based criteria. Until new training programs are in place, the board can certify telecommunicators through existing programs. The council, in collaboration with the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, must submit periodic reports and a final report with funding recommendations and statutory changes to the governor and legislature.

States have also recently expanded public safety telecommunicator training to include T-CPR requirements, which can be beneficial for centers that do not provide emergency medical dispatch services. T-CPR allows telecommunicators to deliver CPR instructions to callers before emergency medical services arrive. This intervention can give someone experiencing cardiac arrest a two-to three-fold higher likelihood of survival. At least nine states-Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia-have enacted such requirements since 2021.

Expanding Retirement Benefits

Improving retirement benefits for public safety telecommunicators to align with those of first responders is considered a key strategyfor bolstering recruitment and retention efforts.According to IAED and NASNA's survey, 45% of 911 call centers surveyed improved retirement and other benefits to improve retention and attract new hires. States are also working to improve retirement benefits for public safety telecommunicators by reclassifying them as first responders, which can make them eligible for enhanced retirement benefits, or by enacting related standalone legislation.

Missouri's (SB 24, 2023) reclassification legislation allows telecommunicators to retire at age 55, matching the retirement age for other emergency service workers, instead of the standard retirement age of 60 for general employees.

West Virginia (SB 439, 2024) authorized 911 operators to join the state's Emergency Medical Services Retirement System. New hires were permittedto join the system, but the new law extends the opportunity to all 911 operators.

Employees in counties that opt in can receive full retirement at 50 years of age and 20 years of service. Previously, 911 employees were a part of the state's Public Employees Retirement System, which allows workers to retire at age 55 with 25 years of service or at age 62 with 10 years of service. Each county will have to opt into the retirement system and 75% of eligible employees would have to vote in favor of the plan to officially join.

Minnesota (SB 1712, 2021) authorized a study to evaluate the feasibility of moving public safety telecommunicators from the PERA General Plan to the PERA Correctional Plan, which offers a lower retirement age of 55, reduced employee contributions (6.5% to 5.83%) and different disability benefits. The report, which was due to the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement by March 1, 2022, had to outline whether this change is appropriate, and if so, recommendations for specific plan changes. The working group included representatives from the Minnesota Association of Public Safety Telecommunicators, the National Emergency Number Association of Minnesota, League of Minnesota Cities and the Department of Public Safety among others.

The working group foundthere would be significant costs to move public safety telecommunicators to the PERA Correctional Plan and did not provide a definitive recommendation to modify benefits for telecommunicators. If the legislature considers enhancing retirement benefits for telecommunicators in the future, the group offered suggestions such as defining eligibility criteria more clearly and ensuring that any benefit changes do not negatively affect the funding ratio of existing pension plans.

Federal Efforts to Support the 911 Workforce

Public Safety telecommunicators and dispatchers are currently classified as "Office and Administrative Support" in the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Standard Occupational Classification catalog. In 2018, 2021 and 2023 Congress considered the bipartisan 911 SAVES Act, aiming to reclassify 911 workers as part of the "Protective Service Occupation" category, alongside roles such as lifeguards, fish and game wardens, parking enforcement workers and firefighters, among others.

The latest version of the billwas amended in July 2024 to request that the OMB reconsider reclassifying telecommunicators rather than directing the office to do so. If the OMB decides against reclassification, the director is required to provide an explanationto Congress. Additionally, Congress also introduced the Enhancing First Response Act in 2023 that requires the OMB to reclassify telecommunicators.

The National 911 Program, which is administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, published a four-part toolkitto help state and local PSAPs address the changes the Bureau of Labor and Statistics requires to reclassify public safety telecommunicators. These changes include developing a job description that reflects the role of a telecommunicator, establishing or expanding a telecommunicator training program, integrating technology and tools and developing an advocacy strategy.