RICHMOND, Va. -- A bill that would provide enhanced retirement benefits to 911 dispatchers across Virginia hit a snag at the Virginia General Assembly.
And money, it seems, is the issue.
Denice Crowder has served as a 911 dispatcher for 20 years said it is a stressful job.
"Some days are kind of quiet, some days not so much. Things can pop off at a moment's notice," said Crowder, who is the Emergency Communications Director for Dinwiddie County Fire & EMS and the chapter president of the Virginia Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. "They're trying to talk some mother into how to do CPR on an infant that they found that has passed in its sleep due to SIDS. Or they're given choking directions. Or you hear your responders in the field hollering 'Mayday.' And those are your brothers and sisters in the field."
A sentiment shared by Suffolk Police Lt. Sandy Springle.
"When you have a suicidal subject that calls and then ends their life on the line with you... I've had that once. But it's happened several times in a 911 center," Springle said, who added even in those situations — dispatchers have to return to work. "You have to answer the next call. Somebody has to be there to answer that call."
Crowder and Springle agree that stress, combined with the 24-7 nature of the job, has made it hard to attract and retain workers.
That's why they both lobbied the Virginia General Assembly to approve legislation that would allow cities and counties to give 911 dispatchers the same enhanced retirement benefits that other first responders, like police, fire, and EMS, receive.
"They don't work Monday through Friday, they don't work a normal schedule...it's a 24-hour operation," said Springle. "The enhanced retirement benefits would be something to look forward to when they retire. So, that would allow us to retain them better."
"This bill would help address that and show them that here in the General Assembly, we see what they're going through, we understand what they're going through, and we're working to try to make it better.," Del. Nadarius Clark (D - Isle of Wight), who carried one of the bills to allow the enhancement for localities. said.
Although both Democrats and Republicans said they supported 911 operators, House lawmakers on an appropriations subcommittee that heard the bill Monday said if they gave this option to localities, they would have to ensure state-employed dispatchers (at Virginia State Police and Capitol Police) received it as well and the funding for that has not been secured.
The bills were continued to next year's session, effectively killing it.
"What it comes down to is its funding. And they simply can't allow the locals to have that option unless they're going to fund the state portion as well. Because, as you can imagine, if you were a dispatcher and right across the street, they were getting a different enhancement, you're going to go across the street," Del. Mike Cherry (R - Chesterfield), who carried legislation for both localities and state-employed dispatchers, said. "Until we can find the funding piece for the state portion, which would cover all of Capitol Police as well as Virginia State Police, I think these bills are going to continue to find the same sort of resistance. So, that's where our focus has to be is lobbying the governor to fund the state portion, then we can get the local option as well."
Advocates are still hopeful a Senate version will succeed and said it was a needed tool for recruitment for them and safety for the public.
"If we don't have enough dispatchers, then the calls will not get answered in a timely manner," Crowder said. "Then they do not get dispatched in a timely manner, which means there's a delay in the response. And as we say, second saves last."
There was also a bill this session that would expand similar benefits to dispatchers when it comes to worker's comp applications for post-traumatic stress disorder, but it was also continued to next year.
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