ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Answering calls in a time of crisis can be an emotional toll for 911 dispatchers. But without the classification as first responders, they do not have the same access to benefits.
Local dispatch centers are pushing Virginia legislators to step in and make a change.
Emergency dispatchers may not be on the front lines but their role behind the scenes is vital.
With more than 57,000 citizens in Franklin County, Emergency Communications’ Peggy Foley said there are 18 dispatchers ready to answer calls.
“We’re not like everybody else,” Foley said. “We don’t get phone calls to say ‘hey happy birthday’ or ‘hey how are you doing today.’ We are the ones receiving those calls on your worst days.”
Those calls can be traumatic.
It’s common for dispatchers to develop PTSD, but they don’t always get the proper help they need.
“You’re hearing on the other end my husband’s got a gun to my head,” Foley said. “And the next thing you hear is a gunshot. That’s really terrifying.”
“It can leave marks on you so to speak,” Roanoke County Communications Team Supervisor Roy Davis said.
Despite responding to life-or-death situations, dispatchers are defined as clerical workers.
Davis said this means salaries, training, mental health resources and retirement benefits are all limited compared to first responders.
But if Commonwealth legislators pass Senate Bill 585 this year, it could be the change dispatchers have been pushing for years.
“It would be a step in getting more benefits for us and one step closer at being recognized as first responders,” Davis said.
As dispatcher shortages still loom, Davis said the bill could also attract new recruits.
But Foley said change can only happen if the community gets involved.
“Write to your delegates and make sure that they know our 911 dispatchers need to be reclassified,” she said.
Last week, the Senate Finance and Appropriation Committee agreed to have the bill reviewed by JLARC before proceeding.
In 2019, a nationwide effort was made with the introduction of the 911 Saves Act. However, it remained idle in Congress.
Since then, some states and local governments have passed their own reclassification legislation.