In 2020, California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1945 (AB 1945).
This bill defines a “first responder” as an employee of the state or a local public agency who provides emergency response services, including a peace officer, firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, public safety dispatcher, or public safety telecommunicator.
A “public safety dispatcher or public safety telecommunicator” means an individual employed by a public safety agency, as the initial first responder, whose primary responsibility is to receive, process, transmit, or dispatch emergency and non-emergency calls for law enforcement, fire, emergency medical, and other public safety services by telephone, radio, or other communication devices, and includes an individual who promotes from this position and supervises individuals who perform these functions.