911 Dispatch Day in the Life and Pension Legislation

A day in the Life of Jeremy Hanson, a 911 Dispatcher, Council 65 Executive Board Trustee, and Local 639 President

In an emergency, we call 911 and request help.  Have you ever wondered about the public servant on the other end of the phone?  How they process multiple emergencies at the same time with people in distress? How they keep everything straight when flooded with chaotic emergency calls?

Jeremy, a 911 dispatcher let us join him to catch a glimpse of the vital work he does every day in rural Minnesota. We learned dispatchers are master multitaskers. They hear and comprehend every conversation in earshot, juggle multiple radio channels, and attend to information coming in on each of their 5+ computer monitors.

We learned about "what3words" an excellent resource to help first responders locate you in an emergency.
 

Jeremy and his co-workers experience constant pressure to serve those in crisis. This can lead to various mental health challenges like anxiety, burnout, depression, insomnia, and PTSD. In high-pressure jobs like this, your union can be a way to make changes, not only on the job, but through legislation as well. Jeremy has been advocating with AFSCME for law changes to protect dispatchers

New Pension Plan for 911 Public Safety Officers and Probation Officers

Currently, there is legislation in the works, recommended by the Probation Officers and 911 Telecommunicators Pension Plans Work Group, which would allow these workers a retirement age of 60, reduced from the current 66, with no penalty. Jeremy is in support of this bill as is would help these dedicated public service workers retire with dignity after a career of serving their communities.

Thank you, Jeremy, for your years of public service and for being an advocate for your coworkers.