![]() ![]() RODRIGUEZ: Without them, we couldn't do our job. Rodriguez calls communications the backbone of the public safety system. But he knows the dispatchers are under particular pressure, so much so that sometimes the troopers are asked to restrict their radio traffic. His days can be busy racing from call to call. JENKINS: Take state trooper Anthony Rodriguez. While citizens rely on 911 as a lifeline, so do first responders in the field. ![]() In the future, she says, technology may allow some calls to be handled via automation, replacing the need for so many dispatchers. JENKINS: Heinze says some agencies are now offering hiring bonuses or re-evaluating pay and benefits. By the end of the day, it is amazing how many people you help. HEINZE: Part of it is educating that this is a true profession that is actually quite rewarding. JENKINS: Heinze spoke from the exhibition floor of a bustling public safety convention, where she says there was plenty of talk about staffing shortages. Now she estimates it's over 30% nationally with areas where it's much higher.ĪPRIL HEINZE: I would say that it is close to a crisis, and in some areas it may be a crisis. Heinze says, before COVID and the so-called great resignation, there was a 15- to 20% vacancy rate among emergency dispatchers. JENKINS: This story is playing out across the country, says April Heinze of the National Emergency Number Association. It would take a lot of stress off of a lot of people. ![]() WHITE: We definitely need more people with for sure. 911 dispatch plus#With two kids at home, most weeks, she's pulling three mandatory 12-hour shifts, plus two more eight-hour days. KAYLA WHITE: Nine-one-one, what's the location of your emergency? It's one thing to say, I understand that when you take the job, it's another thing to be working it. HURSH: I think it's just the nature of the 24 hours a day, seven day a week job. Hursh attributes the vacancies to a combination of factors, including the disruption caused by COVID and the particular demands of being a dispatcher. ![]() JENKINS: Recently, the Washington State Patrol decided to close one of its more rural dispatch centers for lack of staff. And I know we're better off than I think almost all the other centers in the state are. HURSH: Right now, I think I'm down three spots that I could fill if I could find people right now. JENKINS: Jeff Hursh is the manager of this dispatch center. The Washington State Patrol currently has nearly 50 communication officer openings across the state. That's because, like in so many industries, there's a shortage of people willing to do the job. JENKINS: Under the best of circumstances, the role of 911 dispatcher is stressful. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: I really appreciate the patience that you've exhibited. JENKINS: The dispatchers are in perpetual motion - answering the phone, typing on their keyboards and relaying information via the police radio, all the while trying to keep callers calm. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: OK, we're notifying troopers in the area. And dispatching state troopers to where help is needed. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: And it's just two cars involved? JENKINS: Four dispatchers sit at sprawling consoles answering 911 calls. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Nine-one-one, what's the location of your emergency? Austin Jenkins of the Northwest News Network reports.ĪUSTIN JENKINS, BYLINE: It's the afternoon rush hour, and the pace is picking up at the Washington State Patrol's communications center in Tacoma. In Washington state, a dispatch center had to close because of a lack of staff. But emergency dispatchers are in short supply these days. When you call 911, you expect someone to answer quickly and send help. ![]()
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