What’s the first thing we do in an emergency? Dial 911. The very first person you speak to typically works long, irregular hours. Your call may be about a cat stuck in a tree or a downed power line. It could be for a life-endangering accident or even a shooting. Tasked with coordinating and prioritizing a proper response across various agencies and essential services, the literal first responders to emergencies must answer every call with equal weight. Yet, in a cruel irony, they are not yet recognized by the government as first responders.
Each April, during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, we pause to recognize the 911 professionals who serve as the lifeline between crisis and response. But once the week ends, their work, often invisible to the public, continues, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
911 telecommunicators are the first voice someone hears when their world is falling apart. They calm panicked callers, guide CPR over the phone, track active shooters and coordinate emergency responses in real time. They manage simultaneous disasters, field multiple calls with limited backup and make split-second decisions that determine life or death — all while sitting behind a headset, often unacknowledged and unseen.
They are also increasingly called upon to handle mental health crises, overdoses, natural disasters and violent emergencies with a professionalism and composure that is nothing short of heroic. In counties across Pennsylvania, these workers are stretched thin, often working mandatory overtime due to chronic staffing shortages. They absorb the trauma of others every shift, with little recognition or support given to other frontline responders.
Currently, Pennsylvania law does not classify 911 telecommunicators as first responders. That may seem like a technicality, but it has real-world implications for training, benefits, mental health support and recruitment.
That’s why the labor movement is proud to stand with a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania legislators fighting to change that. State Rep. Jessica Benham, D-South Side, has championed House Bill 453, which would formally reclassify 911 telecommunicators as first responders. The bill passed the Pennsylvania House unanimously. In the Senate, a companion bill, Senate Bill 623, has been introduced by Sens. Michele Brooks, R-Mercer County, and Katie Muth, D-Montgomery County. Together, these bills would give 911 workers the recognition, dignity and access to resources that come with first responder status.
We join the Allegheny County Council and others in calling the state Senate to act swiftly and pass SB 623. Let’s get this legislation to the governor’s desk and finally give our 911 professionals the respect they’ve long earned. Recognizing them formally for what they already are, first responders, is just common sense.
Steve Catanese is president of SEIU Local 668, representing thousands of public sector workers across Pennsylvania, including 9-1-1 dispatchers.