This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
State public-safety dispatchers would be able to retire after 20 years instead of 30, under legislation passed 49-21 Monday in the Utah House and sent it to the Senate.
HB115 would allow state dispatchers to be eligible for the same sort of retirement as law enforcement officers and firefighters. It would allow, but not mandate, counties and cities also to offer similar enhanced retirement benefits for their dispatchers.
Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, sponsor of the bill, said dispatchers deserve consideration because of the heavy stress and mental and emotional toll that comes with the job, although some House members contended dispatchers do not face the same dangers as officers and firefighters.
Powell said their physical "lives are not on the line, but their mental and emotional safety is."
He said the burnout rate for dispatchers is high, and "30 years at this job is just really not doable by anyone."
Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry, a Utah Highway Patrol lieutenant agreed. "While they may not be shot at, they are critical for the law officers who are in the middle of it," he said. "They are our backup."
— Lee Davidson