House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders

The Alaska House Community and Regional Affairs Committee heard testimony Thursday on legislation that would reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders and adjust their retirement benefits to match those of peace officers and firefighters.

House Bill 234, sponsored by Representative Carolyn Hall of West Anchorage, would move emergency dispatchers who work for police, fire, and state trooper offices from the general employee category in the Public Employees' Retirement System to the peace officer and firefighter category. The change would allow dispatchers to retire after 20 years of service instead of 30. The substitute bill is scheduled for referral to the House Labor and Commerce Committee following action in Community and Regional Affairs.

Hall told the committee that emergency dispatchers have evolved from simple radio operators to highly trained professionals who provide life-saving instructions before other first responders arrive.

"Today, our emergency dispatchers are highly trained to provide critical pre-arrival instructions to individuals experiencing often traumatic events," Hall said. "They deliver life-saving instructions before other first responders arrive, quickly calm people experiencing the worst day of their lives, obtain an accurate address and critical details, give instructions, and coordinate emergency responders within a few minutes of receiving that call."

The bill would affect a relatively small number of employees statewide. Anchorage has the largest cluster with 10 dispatchers who would be affected. The youngest of those currently eligible for normal retirement could do so on June 30, 2036.

For Tier 3 members of the retirement system, the legislation would raise employee contributions from 6.75 percent to 7.5 percent and change pension calculations from a highest five-year average to a highest three-year average. Tier 4 members in the defined contribution plan would gain access to medical coverage at any age after 25 years of service, rather than needing to reach age 65 with 10 years of service or fulfill 30 years of service.

Shane Westcott, representing the Alaska Professional Firefighters Association, emphasized the mental health toll on dispatchers who handle traumatic calls without the closure that field responders experience.

"When I go to a patient, I get to see the patient. I have an in-person interaction with that person. I get to bring them to the hospital and pass them on to a continuation of care," Westcott said. "What these dispatchers go through when they answer a phone, when someone is screaming in their ear calling for help and needing assistance, answering that call and dealing with it and getting the appropriate resources to them in a few moments, coaching them through CPR or coaching them through this catastrophic event that they are going through, to then hang up the phone and take the next call. There is no closure."

Hall said the reclassification would clarify dispatchers' status as first responders and open dispatch centers to federal grant funding currently available only to public safety agencies. That includes SAFER grants that could help rural communities hire more dispatchers.

Suzanne Hall, a dispatcher with the Department of Public Safety Communications Center in Soldotna, described the training requirements for the position. She said minimum qualifications include typing speed, clerical skills, the ability to remain calm under pressure, and basic computer skills. The rest of the training happens on the job over approximately eight to nine months.

"We require our dispatchers to be certified as emergency medical and emergency fire dispatchers," Hall said. "Each of those certifications take 40 hours. Excuse me, the EMD takes 24 hours, and the EFD, I believe, takes a similar amount of hours. I do not remember offhand, but they require ongoing continuing education training to maintain your certifications."

Hall said retention through training averages around 50 percent, with many candidates washing out because of the stress of the job.

Committee members raised questions about the fiscal impact of the legislation and whether the Division of Retirement and Benefits had completed an actuarial analysis. Representative Carolyn Hall said the division is still gathering information on the exact number of dispatchers who would be affected and whether an actuarial analysis would be required.

Representative Julie Sadler questioned whether early retirement would address the mental health challenges dispatchers face or whether structural changes like sabbaticals or rotations might better help them maintain their well-being throughout a career.

"In the academic world, a professor will get a sabbatical after seven years of teaching," Sadler said. "My question is, is it possible to have structural changes that will ameliorate the pressure and let someone maintain their sanity in their life throughout even a 20-year career?"

Westcott responded that sabbaticals would be difficult to implement in rural communities with only one or two dispatchers. Representative Hall added that reclassifying dispatchers as first responders would help with recruitment and retention in these critical positions, especially in rural Alaska.

The committee did not take action on the bill. Hall said she would work with the Division of Retirement and Benefits to answer outstanding questions before the next hearing.