Sharpsburg resident Jon Jaso called his job as an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher rewarding but laden with emotional baggage.
“Listening to tragedies every day doesn’t get any easier,” said Jaso, who started in 1990 at McCandless municipal dispatch before operations were folded into regional centers in 1998 and then into county 911 in 2005.
“The range of emotions can swing in extreme directions.”
A proposed bill, up for vote Tuesday by the state Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, would reclassify dispatchers as first responders and give them the ability to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. It is similar to a 2024 bill that paved the way for firefighters, EMS providers and police officers to seek help for the job’s emotional toll.
House Bill 453, sponsored by Rep. Jessica Benham, D-Pittsburgh, has drawn wide support, including 27 Democratic co-sponsors and one Republican: Brenda Pugh from Luzerne County.
The legislation passed the House last spring by a vote of 203-0.
State Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-North Hills, urged fellow lawmakers to keep the bill moving forward, saying “911 dispatchers are the first responders in an emergency.”
She’s heard from several dispatchers who say reminders from certain calls can be unsettling and relentless.
“Their empathy and understanding are what allow them to help guide callers through crisis, but it also means that this work takes a toll on their mental and emotional health,” Williams said in an email.
“Making sure they have access to the health care they need as a result of their work is the best way I can think of to thank them for their dedication to our community.”
Williams is a co-sponsor on a similar bill introduced last year in the Senate that has been stuck in committee.
She is eager to move the House bill forward Tuesday, and into a full Senate vote.
Prior to the approval of the 2024 bill, PTSD treatment for fire, police and EMS was available only under workers’ compensation if a first responder could demonstrate that the injury resulted from abnormal working conditions.
Now, first responders are covered for qualified traumatic events — recognizing that normal working conditions for first responders are often disturbing, Williams said.
Qualified traumatic events are those that result in a person’s serious injury or death; involve a minor who has been injured, killed, abused or exploited; involve an immediate threat to the life of the person; involve mass casualties; or involve responding to crime scenes for investigations.
Jaso, a Sharpsburg councilman and volunteer firefighter, said the bill would give dispatchers the recognition they deserve.
“Right now, we are classified as secretaries — not that there is anything wrong with that profession, but our skill set is very unique,” he said.
“One call, we can be taking information on someone being locked out of their vehicle, and then the next call, we are giving instructions on a father trying to deliver their newborn child on the side of the road.”
Jaso believes there should be a cap on emergency dispatchers that limits them to 20 or 25 years of service. He said societal and technological changes happen rapidly and add to the stresses of the job.
“I love my job, but it takes a toll,” he said. “There are no first responders until 911 responds first. We deserve to be recognized as emergency responders.”