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House Bill 453 would reclassify 911 telecommunicators as first responders; committee reports bill unanimously
Summary
Representative Benham presented House Bill 453 to reclassify 911 telecommunicators as first responders. Supporters said the change would recognize the work dispatchers perform, help recruitment and retention, and align Title 35 protections; the committee unanimously reported the bill to the floor.
Representative Benham, sponsor of House Bill 453, told the Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committee his bill would reclassify 9-1-1 telecommunicators as first responders and that the change would add no cost to Pennsylvania taxpayers.
"They're the first to respond in a scribe," Representative Benham said, describing telecommunicators’ frequent contact with suicidal individuals, shootings and other crises and arguing the reclassification would provide workplace dignity, improve recruitment and retention, and allow access to resources such as employee mental-health supports.
Committee members asked whether the term "first responder" is defined consistently in statute. Representative Ritke said coroners might also merit consideration for inclusion in a formal list of first responders. Committee staff member Mike explained that Title 35 is not uniform in how it defines "emergency responder/first responder," and that the bill would synchronize Title 35 to explicitly include 9-1-1 telecommunicators in the places where the term is used — presently a limited number of locations such as interstate mutual-aid provisions and the mental wellness program.
"You covered the highlights there," Mike said, noting the measure would consolidate and synchronize Title 35 definitions so telecommunicators are included in statutory references to emergency responders where the bill specifies.
Representative Scott, who described prior committee site visits to public-safety answering points and work to secure funding for 9-1-1, urged support and praised telecommunicators’ professionalism.
The committee recorded no roll-call names in the transcript; the chair announced House Bill 453 was reported unanimously to the floor for consideration.
