The legislation would ensure Americans reach help when dialing 9-1-1 during natural disasters and make important updates to the classification of 9-1-1 dispatchers

WASHINGTON – Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Enhancing First Response Act, which would make important updates to our 9-1-1 emergency reporting system to ensure Americans can reach help when they dial 9-1-1 during natural disasters. The legislation will also ensure 9-1-1 dispatchers are recognized as protective service workers to ensure their job classification appropriately recognizes the lifesaving nature of their work. This legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Blackburn, Heinrich, Sullivan, Lujan, Capito, Markey, Budd, King, Thune, and Kelly.

This bill has two companion bills in the House, the 911 SAVES Act led by Representative Norma Torres (D-CA), and the Emergency Reporting Act led by Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA).

“During natural disasters, Americans need reliable communications networks, especially 9-1-1. Our bipartisan legislation will save lives by ensuring Americans are able to connect to 9-1-1 during major disasters and improving the resiliency of our 9-1-1 system against outages and disruptions,” said Klobuchar. “This legislation also recognizes 9-1-1 dispatchers for their critical roles during times of crisis by ensuring they are classified as the first responders that they are.” 

“Ensuring Americans can reach help when they dial 9-1-1 during natural disasters is paramount,” said Blackburn. “The Emergency Reporting Act takes necessary steps to prevent 9-1-1 service disruptions, properly recognize dispatchers for their lifesaving work, and further study how we can make improvements to the 9-1-1 emergency response system.”

This legislation is endorsed by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the largest organization of public safety communications professionals, and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), which promotes the implementation and awareness of 9-1-1.

“The Enhancing First Response Act represents a comprehensive effort to enhance public safety communications and support the dedicated professionals who operate our nation’s 9-1-1 systems,” said APCO International CEO & Executive Director Mel Maier. “Addressing the federal classification of 9-1-1 professionals, strengthening resilience and situational awareness during outages, and advancing MLTS 9-1-1 call capabilities are all critical steps forward. APCO appreciates the leadership of Senators Klobuchar and Blackburn in championing these issues.”

“Recognizing the essential, life-saving work of 9-1-1 professionals is long overdue,” said NENA CEO Brian Fontes. “Since the first 9-1-1 call was placed in 1968, the job of 9-1-1 telecommunicators has substantially become more technical, specialized, and important to the immediate health, safety, and security of our communities. They are the first first responders, and they deserve to be classified in the same category as their law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical counterparts. We deeply appreciate Senators Klobuchar and Blackburn for their steadfast, bipartisan commitment to 9-1-1 and public safety.”

Specifically, the Enhancing First Response Act would:

  • Require the FCC to issue a report after major natural disasters on the extent to which people were unable to reach 9-1-1 during the disaster and subsequent recovery efforts, and make recommendations to improve the resiliency of 9-1-1 systems to prevent future service disruptions;
  • Require the FCC to study the unreported 9-1-1 outages and develop recommendations to improve outage reporting and communication between mobile carriers experiencing network outages and 9-1-1 centers;
  • Update the classification of 9-1-1 dispatchers from clerical workers to protective service workers in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) to better reflect the life-saving work they perform each day. The SOC is a tool used by federal agencies to classify the workforce into useful, occupational categories;
  • Require the FCC to report on the extent to which multi-line telephone system manufacturers and vendors have complied with Kari’s Law, which Senator Klobuchar worked to pass into law in 2018 and requires the manufacturers of multi-line telephone systems to create systems that allow callers to reach 9-1-1 without dialing a prefix or postfix.

Klobuchar has long advocated for improving the 9-1-1 system. In 2018, Kari’s Law, bipartisan legislation led by Klobuchar and Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), was signed into law. It requires the manufacturers of multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) to create systems that allow callers to reach 9-1-1 without dialing a prefix or postfix and on-site notification to make it easier for first responders to locate 9-1-1 callers in large buildings. Klobuchar and former Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) first introduced the Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (911 SAVES) Act in 2019, and the Emergency Reporting Act in 2020.

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