“ The federal government classifies 911 workers as “administrative/clerical.” That is considered inaccurate by NENA and misrepresents the life-saving work 911 call takers perform, NENA says. 911 call takers can initiate life-saving medical instructions; deal with a suicidal person; coordinate the dispatch of police, fire and EMS personnel in a timely and safe manner; and play critical roles in emergencies during traffic accidents and large-scale disasters.
A reclassification of 911 professionals could give call takers greater equity in terms of benefits, including mental health support, access to personal protective equipment and the ability to apply for grants.” E.REPUBLIC LLC
Currently there is only a handful of individual states that have passed legislation to properly classify dispatchers and 911 operators as first responders; this should be a nationally recognized classification. There are several studies that prove that working in this field increases chances of PTSD at rates similar to other public safety personnel.
In a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, 758 individuals were surveyed to understand the health challenges of 911 telecommunicators. The results of the study showed that participants that exhibited greater physical health complaints also experienced a high level of depressive symptoms, alcohol abuse, PTSD symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and dissociation.
The research also showed that physical and mental health complaints among 911 telecommunicators were roughly equivalent to data specific to firefighters and police officers.
([Predictors of Obesity and Physical Health Complaints Among 911 Telecommunicators - PMC] )