Provides a heart disease presumption for certain members employed as fire alarm dispatchers

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Republican1

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Robert Jackson says this is needed

The inherent nature of emergency calls places many first responders at risk of harm, injury, or death. While emergency dispatchers don't directly get involved at the scene of an emergency, they are exposed to many of the same mental and emotional traumas that first responders experience first-hand. As a result, emergency dispatchers are at a strong risk for occupational stress. Chronic stress on the job often causes mental health issues like anxiety, depression, heart disease, and PTSD. In addition to working at a high-stress job, emergency dispatchers have a sedentary position at work, where they must sit for the entire shift. For many dispatchers, the combination of high stress, unhealthy eating habits, and a sedentary lifestyle are a recipe for obesity, heart problems, depression, and other health problems. The 24/7 nature of emergency dispatching means that emergency responders have non-standard schedules.They are often subject to rotating shifts and mandatory over- time to make sure that the emergency call center is appropriately staffed at all times. Not having a regular work schedule causes emergen- cy dispatchers to have enough breaks in their sleep routines that it becomes difficult to get to sleep. Sporadic sleep schedules throw the body's natural body rhythms off. Irregular sleep and eating habits can also cause metabolic syndrome. A combined set of conditions including high blood pressure, increased blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels, and body fat around the waist causes metabolic syndrome. The disorder increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Being an Emergency Dispatcher is difficult for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the job is incredibly intense and stressful; at any moment you could answer the phone to a panicked caller and alter the course of their lives depending on your actions. Emergency dispatchers are taught to control their emotions when taking a call, which can heighten physical stress. Even though the dispatcher may not physically be on the spot of the incident does not mean that they are not affected or experience trauma. For the first responders who spoke to a person for the last few minutes of their life as they're trapped in a fire, the trauma and stress on their bodies are very real.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.