Bill to designate dispatchers as first responders

(WAND) - Emergency dispatchers are the first to answer the call for help. But in Illinois, they are categorized as clerical staff - not first responders.

Now, a bill moving through the Illinois Senate could change that.

"Dispatchers are the lifeline, the vital lifeline really, between our citizens and the emergency services that they need," Desir'ee Wright, communications supervisor for the Central Illinois Regional Dispatch Center (CIRD), told WAND News.

Dispatchers go through extensive training to respond to these calls. They know how to deescalate situations and can even walk a caller through emergency medical responses.

"There's an expectation when our citizens call 911 that they're going to get that professional on the other end that's going to know what questions to ask, not only going to keep them safe, but also to keep our responders safe," Wright explained.

State Sen. Neil Anderson is one of those first responders. He is a firefighter in Moline and knows firsthand the work dispatchers do before his team arrives on scene.

"I think its kind of worse for them because they're on the line, picking up the phone, on most likely the worst day of their life," Anderson explained.

The representative of the 36th district introduced a bill to designate dispatchers as first responders.

"Because they're kind of like the unsung heroes. They're the people that never get any credit. Nobody ever sees them, nobody ever meets them, because they're behind the phone," Anderson added.

His bill would not only give dispatchers a new title, but also vital benefits and access to additional training.

"You know there's certain things that we see and dispatchers here and go through that people can't really appreciate unless you're put in those shoes," Anderson explained.

"Secondary post traumatic stress disorder and even PTSD in the dispatch environment. Although we may not, at this point, be seeing what is going on, we're very much in it with our callers," Wright added.

Anderson hopes the bill would give dispatchers the credit and help they need to get you live saving support when you need it most.

Senate Bill 3127 is up for a final vote in the Illinois Senate Tuesday. It is then expected to head to the House for debate. Anderson hopes to see the bill on Gov. J.B. Pritzker's desk in the next few weeks.

WAND News will continue to follow the progress of this legislation.