Today, Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), along with several of their colleagues, reintroduced the Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act of 2021, or the “9-1-1 SAVES Act.” If enacted, this bipartisan legislation would require the Office of Management and Budget to categorize public safety telecommunicators as Protective Service Occupations in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).

The SOC is maintained solely for statistical purposes. Public safety telecommunicators are currently classified as administrative/clerical in nature, which is inaccurate and a disservice to the lifesaving work and dedication of these professionals. Reclassification is about appropriately recognizing the critical, “protective” work public safety telecommunicators do every day. Additionally, including public safety telecommunicators in the Protective Service group would make the SOC a more accurate and therefore more useful statistical resource. The 9-1-1 SAVES Act is a simple, zero-cost legislative fix that has broad support from the 9-1-1 community and others familiar with their lifesaving work.

“The work performed by public safety telecommunicators is nothing short of extraordinary, and it is 100% ‘protective,’” APCO Executive Director and CEO Derek K. Poarch said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted their dedication and the lifesaving nature of their work. Passage of the 9-1-1 SAVES Act will be a much-deserved recognition for these professionals and a win for public safety. APCO applauds Reps. Torres and Fitzpatrick for their continued leadership on this issue.”