As most of you know, the May 7th deadline to
gather 100,000 e-signatures for the White House petition is quickly approaching
and we barely halfway to our goal of 100,000 signatures. I have to wonder
how we could have 5,874 PSAPs in the United States (according
to NENA, as of 2017) and over 100,000 dispatchers working (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of
2014) yet we can’t gather 100,000 signatures on a petition that tells
the White House that we, as emergency service dispatchers and 911 call takers,
should be classified as a first responder position rather than a clerical
position. Our industry has come so far from when we were just the
glorified secretary for the agencies we served, we are public safety
professionals in our own right, so why can’t we throw our support behind a
movement that is seeking that recognition?
I ask that you think about what a reclassification would
mean to you and, if you support it, explain that to your friends and family and
ask them to sign the petition. A reclassification, to me, means the start
of a shift in perception for what we do. Day in and day out, hour after
hour, weekends, holidays, every day my team in dispatch is available to help
shoulder the burden of the worst day of somebody’s life. They are ready
to offer help, emotional support, a calm, professional voice while getting this
person the help that they need. Then they stand by ready to help the
helpers. The questions we ask are key to their success and safety – both
in the investigatory phase and the prosecutorial phase.
If we are successful in our reclassification efforts does
that mean that we will immediately get the pay and acknowledgement we deserve
for the stressful role we play in our communities? No, it does not.
But does it mean that there is a shift in the conversation that sets the
foundation for these changes to be made? Absolutely, in my opinion it
does. How can we ask the powers that be in our local jurisdictions to
provide the pay and benefits that we deserve as part of the first responder
community if we can’t even get behind a movement for us to be classified that
way? How do we expect to recruit and retain public safety professionals
that are expected to operate with increased expectations and pressures without
compensating them justly for it? This job is not getting easier. We
are in the midst of the greatest change to 911 services since its
implementation and part of what needs to change is how we are classified.
I’ll step down off of my soap box now and simply ask that,
if you haven’t already, go and sign the petition. It is easy and quick –
and I’ll tell you from my personal experience, putting your valid email address
on the petition so they can confirm that you are real does not expose you to
scam emails (I signed several weeks ago and haven’t seen anything of the
sort). Then please share the petition with your friends, family, public
safety partners, and your community and ask them to take the time to
support the valuable role you play and to sign the petition that will set the
stage for this career to be recognized and classified appropriately. Even
if present day you doesn’t understand it, I’m confident that future you will be
thankful for the reclassification and the benefits it will bring.
Both the Kansas Chapter of APCO page and the APCO
International page on Facebook have graphics and the link to share this
petition (please go and like both pages if you haven’t yet) to help you share
your story with your network of people. I also have a sample
letter provided by APCO International to send out to friends and family
requesting their support and if you would like that sent to you then please email me at elora.forshee@sedgwick.gov. And finally, the website to sign the petition
is https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/9-1-1-professionals-should-be-recognized-protecting-and-saving-lives.
Respectfully yours,
Elora Forshee
2017 Kanas APCO President
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