During its Monday, February 20 meeting, the Polk County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted on a resolution in support of the 9-1-1 SAVES Act.

This Act, which was passed in the House of Representatives as part of the Fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, reclassifies 911 dispatchers from “Office and Administrative Support” to “Protective Service Occupations” in the Office of Management and Budget’s Standard Occupational Classification catalog.

In its resolution, the Polk County Board of Commissioners stated “911 dispatchers are the first line of response during an emergency, and they deserve to be classified in a way that recognizes their work is on par with the work of other public servants classified as first responders.”

Though the 9-1-1 SAVES Act has passed in the House of Representatives, it isn’t yet a bill. This resolution was passed because the Polk County Board of Commissioners are working with other elected officials to re-introduce this legislation with the next Congress, and local support will assist this effort.

Polk County is proud to support its 911 dispatchers and are happy for the service each one provides to the county and its citizens.