Fitzpatrick, Torres Shop Bill to Change Government's Classification of 911 Dispatchers
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Norma Torres, D-Calif., seek co-sponsors for their forthcoming 911 Saves Act, to change the federal government's classification of public safety call-takers and dispatchers (see 1902280029) as “protective service occupations.” The Standard Occupational Classification system classifies…
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those jobs as “office and administrative support occupations,” which “includes secretaries, office clerks, and taxicab dispatchers,” Fitzpatrick and Torres wrote colleagues. “We believe this is based on an outdated, misinformed view of the work performed.” The protective service occupations classification encompasses “a broad range of 'protective' occupations: lifeguards, fish and game wardens, parking enforcement workers, firefighters, and even playground monitors,” the lawmakers said. “As former a 9-1-1 Dispatcher and FBI agent, we can tell you that the nature of their work is absolutely protective."