WHEREAS, the Jefferson County 911 Emergency Communications District, Inc. employs the following personnel: Telecommunicator / call taker-dispatcher; Telecommunicator / lead; Telecommunicator / CTO; Telecommunicator / supervisor; Director / CEO; Deputy Director; Chief Administrator; Chief of Operations; Human Resource Manager; I.T. / GIS Manager; I.T. Support Specialist; Logistics Manager; Training Coordinator; and Quality Assurance Supervisor; and

WHEREAS, the above-identified personnel serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just the same as firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical services workers; and

WHEREAS, the above-identified personnel make the same sacrifices in their personal lives as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical services workers by leaving their families and the safety of their homes to handle the emergency 911 calls that save lives, protect property, and ensure the safety of our community and citizens during emergency events; and

WHEREAS, the above-identified personnel courageously answer, or provide critical and necessary services that enable the answering of, 911 emergency calls around-the-clock, many of which involve emergency medical dispatch and potentially lifesaving instructions including CPR, instructing callers on staying safe in the most difficult situations, and helping callers to safety during disasters all while simultaneously dispatching law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical services to said emergency situations for the callers; and

WHEREAS, the above-identified personnel must handle the stress of answering hundreds of thousands of calls each year – all one right after another – often being the voice on the other end of the line as citizens experience one of the most difficult days of their lives, often hearing the overwhelming voices of devastation and cries for help, and often providing support as citizens begin to process the loss of a loved one – all the while transmitting information to emergency responders and monitoring their whereabouts in the field to keep them safe; and

WHEREAS, the above-identified personnel often suffer from PTSD, although they are not physically on the scene, by answering, or providing critical and necessary services that enable the answering of, multiple traumatic calls, banding successful radio incidents and communicating with people in distress, afraid or injured; and

WHEREAS, First Responder means a public safety employee whose duties include responding rapidly to an emergency or accident to provide assistance; and

WHEREAS, the Jefferson County 911 Emergency Communications District, Inc. recognize the above-identified personnel as First Responders, which unequivocally recognizes the work they do

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY:

RESOLVED, that from this day forward the Jefferson County 911 Emergency Communications District, Inc. proclaims the following personnel have the status of “First Responders”: Telecommunicator / call taker-dispatcher; Telecommunicator / lead; Telecommunicator / CTO; Telecommunicator / supervisor; Director / CEO; Deputy Director; Chief Administrator; Chief of Operations; Human Resource Manager; I.T. / GIS Manager; I.T. Support Specialist; Logistics Manager; Training Coordinator; and Quality Assurance Supervisor.

AND FURTHER RESOLVED, the above-identified personnel comprise all employment classifications used by the Jefferson County 911 Emergency Communications District, Inc. as of the date of this Resolution.  In the event the Jefferson County 911 Emergency Communications District, Inc. adds additional employment classifications in the future, it is the intent of the Board of Directors of the Jefferson County 911 Emergency Communications District, Inc. that all personnel employed in all such additional employment classifications shall have the status of “First Responders.”   

APPROVED THIS 18th DAY OF AUGUST, 2021, by the Board of Directors of the Jefferson County 911 Emergency Communications District, Inc.