Page 9 - Work Force April 2019

911 workers: Serving during times of need
Editor’s Note: When an emergency occurs, the actions of 911 workers are often the difference between life and death. Over the next three pages, we highlight the great work of 911 employees.
Wayne County dispatcher helps save a life
LYONS —
A Wayne County 911 dispatcher was recently honored
for her role in saving a man’s life.
Lesa
Osipovitch,
a dispatcher
employed at
the Wayne
County
911 Center
and a CSEA member since 2018, recently helped save a life by performing dispatcher-assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
On March 4, Osipovitch received a 911 call from a Palmyra resident who reported that her husband had passed out. Acting quickly
and calmly, Osipovitch spoke with
the caller and determined that the patient was in cardiac arrest.
She not only sent emergency responders to the man’s home, but provided instructions to deliver high quality CPR until a field responder arrived.
As Finger Lakes Ambulance and deputies from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office rushed to the scene, Osipovitch remained on the line with the caller providing calming statements and instructions to give the patient the best chance for survival.
After 18 minutes on the line with the caller, a field responder arrived at the patient’s side and took over.
The immediate instructions provided by Osipovitch and
the efforts of the individual on
scene gave the medical crews an opportunity to deliver advanced care when they arrived.
The man was taken to a local hospital and is recovering.
Osipovitch’s actions are the result of the strong training
that 911 dispatchers receive. All dispatchers in Wayne County are trained to International Academies of Emergency Dispatch standards and certified as emergency medical dispatchers, prepared to respond when needed.
CSEA Western Region President Kathy Button said this story illustrates the talent, hard work and dedication CSEA members execute
every day to improve the quality of life for everyone in our local communities.
“We are very proud of Lesa and all of our public safety dispatchers. It’s a very difficult job that requires a lot of training and skill,” Button said. “We are honored to recognize her achievements and value today by helping saving a life and assisting a family in crisis. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
— Ove Overmyer
Legislation to reclassify 911 call-takers and dispatchers
WASHINGTON — CSEA and AFSCME are supporting a bill recently introduced into the House of Representatives that would more properly reclassify 911 call-takers and dispatchers, to give them the recognition they deserve.
U.S. Rep. Norma Torres, a former 911 dispatcher at the Los Angeles Police Department and AFSCME Local 3090 member, co-sponsored H.R. 1629, the bipartisan 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act, to reclassify 911 call-takers and dispatchers from “Office and Administrative Support Occupations” to “Protective Service Occupations” in the Office of Management and Budget Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) catalog. This legislation would be a zero-cost fix.
According to Torres, the current classification reflects an outdated, misinformed view of the nation’s 100,000 public safety
telecommunicators as clerical workers.
The 911 SAVES Act is the
first bill of its kind to give 911 dispatchers the recognition they deserve for the work they do every day to protect and save the lives of the public and first responders.
However, this federal legislation is unlikely to affect CSEA- represented 911 workers because the bill does not require them to be reclassified on the state level in title or salary grade.
“911 dispatchers play a vital role in every community not only in New York, but across the country and their work is key
to saving lives every day,” CSEA President Danny Donohue said. “We recognize the importance of 911 workers getting properly recognized for the crucial duties they perform every day, often under stressful circumstances.”
— Mark M. Kotzin
Osipovitch
On the cover, Public Safety Dispatcher Jason Sparks takes calls at the Onondaga County Department of Emergency Communications 911 center in Syracuse.
Photo by Mark M. Kotzin.
See story, pages 10-11.
cseany.org
April 2019 Vol. 22, No. 4
e pages 9-11
911 workers: Serving during times of need
Se
April 2019
The Work Force 9
Photo by Mark M. Kotzin