Recent efforts to reclassify 911 operators and dispatchers as first responders federally are stalled. Those who work in the Phoenix alarm room, like Maria Abeyta, may not see trauma like police officers and firefighters, but they hear it. After her break, Abeyta sits down in her chair in front of seven glowing computer screens, two keyboards and mice. She plugs her headset in and slides it through her hair. The police radio chatter starts to filter in. “10-4 shots fired … white male had a gun, shot up in the air then pulled a 101 into the apartment,” Abeyta tells police on the radio. Right now, she handles calls for crimes in progress. On a busy day like this, Abeyta and other dispatchers will answer up to 170 calls over a 10-hour shift. The calls they receive range from complaints to situations no one wants to hear.