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When a crisis unfolds, the first voice someone hears isn’t usually a police officer, firefighter or paramedic. It’s a 9-1-1 telecommunicator who answers the call, processes the information and dispatches the help that’s needed. These professionals handle some of the most intense, high-stakes situations imaginable, often back-to-back, shift after shift. When the call ends and help is on the way, the telecommunicator moves on to the next emergency, leaving little time to decompress.  

But what happens to the person who took that call? 

The PROTECT 9-1-1 Act (H.R. 2937), introduced in April 2025, acknowledges what many in public safety have known for years: the mental health toll on telecommunicators is real, significant and largely unaddressed. Sponsored by Representatives Kelly, Torres and Fitzpatrick, this bipartisan legislation requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve the detection, prevention and treatment of mental health issues among public safety telecommunicators. There are other bills addressing the classification of these operators, which will also help provide additional support.  

What the Legislation Does

The PROTECT 9-1-1 Act takes a comprehensive approach to addressing telecommunicator wellness. It establishes grant programs to fund behavioral health and wellness programs within emergency communications centers, specifically targeting job-related mental health challenges. These can include post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout and compassion fatigue. 

The legislation directs HHS to develop best practices for identifying, preventing and treating PTSD in telecommunicators. It also calls for the creation of resources that help mental health professionals better understand the unique workplace culture and stressors these professionals face. This last point is crucial. Many mental health providers don’t fully grasp the specific challenges of call-taking and dispatching, from the vicarious trauma of hearing violence unfolding in real-time to the cumulative stress of never knowing what the next call will bring. 

Additionally, the bill supports peer-support programs, recognizing that telecommunicators trained to provide peer counseling can be particularly effective in supporting their colleagues through difficult experiences. 

The Reality Behind the Legislation

The numbers tell a sobering story. Telecommunicators experience rates of PTSD that rival or exceed those of field responders, yet they often lack access to the same mental health resources and support systems. They hear the worst moments of people’s lives—the panic in a caller’s voice during a home invasion, the confusion of someone witnessing a car crash, the desperation of a parent who can’t wake up their child. And unlike field responders who can see the outcome of their intervention, telecommunicators rarely know how the story ends. 

Representative Torres, who spent 17 years as a 9-1-1 dispatcher before entering Congress, has spoken candidly about the personal toll the job can take. Her firsthand experience drives home a critical point: this legislation isn’t theoretical. It’s born from understanding what these professionals face every single day. 

What This Means for Leadership

For call center directors and police chiefs, the PROTECT 9-1-1 Act represents both validation and opportunity. Validation that the concerns many of you have raised about your teams’ wellbeing are being heard at the federal level. And opportunity, in the form of potential grant funding and evidence-based frameworks, to formalize the support programs you may have been trying to build with limited resources. 

But legislation alone won’t change the culture in your center. That takes commitment from leadership. It means recognizing that the person who just took the call from the drowning victim needs a moment before moving to the next caller. It means creating space, literally and figuratively, for people to process what they’re experiencing. Some agencies are implementing quiet rooms where telecommunicators can step away after traumatic calls. Others are formalizing peer support, so it’s not just an informal conversation by the coffee maker, but a structured part of caring for your team. 

It also means paying attention to workload patterns. When someone handles three suicides and a child fatality in one shift, that’s not just another day at work. Those are experiences that accumulate, and good leadership means noticing and responding to these situations before someone reaches their breaking point. 

The Path Forward

The PROTECT 9-1-1 Act is working its way through Congress, and if passed, it will provide resources that many agencies desperately need. But you don’t have to wait for federal funding to start prioritizing your team’s mental health. Talk to your telecommunicators about what support would actually help them. Connect with mental health professionals who are willing to learn about the specific demands of this work. Build peer support into your operations, not as an afterthought, but as a core function. 

These professionals carry the weight of other people’s worst days. They deserve leadership that recognizes that weight and actively works to help them carry it. 

Your telecommunicators are your agency’s first responders. They’re often your most stressed, least visible and most under-supported team members. The PROTECT 9-1-1 Act says they matter. Now it’s up to those of us in leadership to show them that we agree. 

Contact your U.S. Representative today and urge them to support H.R. 2937, the PROTECT 911 Act, to ensure vital mental health resources and training for our 9‑1‑1 operators and dispatchers.