Cities across the U.S. are struggling to find 911 dispatchers as a historically tight labor market makes it harder to fill a job that was already a tough sell.
Dispatchers are a linchpin of the nation’s emergency-response infrastructure. Their responses to 911 calls directly impact how quickly police, firefighters and other first responders are sent to help and whether they go to the right place.
They are also hard to hire, since the job can require workers to make snap judgments on life-or-death situations, often based on incomplete information, for about what they could make working as a manager at a retail store.
With the U.S. jobless rate currently at 3.9%, just above the 18-year low of 3.8% it reached in May, a daunting situation for emergency call centers has turned urgent.
A 911 center operator may hear gunshots, callers being wounded or killed while they are on the phone, or be the first person to speak with someone who has found a deceased loved one. Some centers offer counseling with local religious leaders or trained therapists, but not all have those services.
Operators are “getting negative information all the time. The aura is kind of negative,” said Andrew Dziegielewski, emergency communications director for the Portland Regional Communications Center in Maine.
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7 comments:
It's a thankless job. Thanks to all who do it well. A curse on all, like that Texas woman who blew people off while her nails were drying, who don't take every call seriously.
Unfortunately, these good folks work as hard as an air traffic controllers without the pay. If the people in charge of these emergency telecommunications center pay their employees more, then they will be in a position to hire more people. 911 centers get what they pay for. Shortage of good and caring people. Being a dispatcher is stressful work.
I was a 911 dispatcher back in 1984. I left for the same reasons. Thankless job, with low pay. It was wasn't always the public, but a few bad apples in both the Police and Fire department that make my job a living hell.
You get cussed out on a daily basis from the public, and sometimes you would get chewed out by police who didn't like the call they were dispatched to.
Same with some of the fire department. Some of the calls were taxi rides to the hospital, but you still had to send them based on the information that was given to you. It was a lot of pressure for the little bit of money they paid you. Even back then, all calls were recorded and there were times that your judgement was questioned and they would play back an conversation for verification. The worst was the 3 pm to 11 pm shift and 11 to 7 am shift on Friday's and Saturdays.
We were always short handed, and I had to fill in for some shifts, and instead of getting over time for this, I would get comp time, or time without pay. The county was too cheap to pay you for the extra shift, but it's funny how they were able to come up with the money when I put in my resignation!
I still miss some of the excitement. The job was never boring and, at times it really was rewarding.
I think they make too difficult now to apply. I understand at the Sheriff's office they make you undergo a polygraph test and full criminal background investigation. Your finger printed, and you get your photo taken just like criminal for just applying as a part of the application process.
With the little pay and application process, it's no wonder many don't apply or make it.
I was a 911 Dispatcher for over 20 years.
When I had about 8 years on the job I went to a class where the instructor had everyone stand up.
He asked those who had less than 5 years experience to sit down. More than half sat down.
He then asked for those that had more than five but less than ten years experience to sit down. At that time out of about 25 people only two were left standing.
One had 15 years experience and one had 17 years experience. The class was about keeping employees in our dispatch centers and why so few people ever retire from the job. Nothing has changed in many centers.
There are never enough people to cover the phones especially at nights. When I started working the town had 40,000 people and our minimum staff was two people at night. Two people to dispatch police and fire and ambulances and work the radios and phones.
When I retired the minimum was 3 people and the town now had 100,000 people. Administration hated the fact they were paying people to sit around and read a book when times were slow but the truth of the matter was when things got busy you needed at least two more people.
Cell phones only made the job harder as everyone thinks you can trace a cell phones location. That is not always true and it takes valuable time. There are many people who call 911 who truly need help but there are many more that call 911 because they are too lazy to look up the non emergency number. I have been retired for three years and still cringe when I hear a telephone ring for more than 3 rings. We were trained to answer within two rings knowing it could be a life or death situation.
In my opinion a seasoned dispatcher is well worth
$25 an hour but no one wants to pay that kind of money to someone who “just answers phones” and talks on the radio. Rest assured......dispatchers do much more than that and are not always appreciated. I was fortunate that I worked in a center where the majority of the police and fire dept did appreciate us and all that we did.
It was the administration and city leaders who took us for granted and would give huge wages to the police and fire depts but leave the dispatchers wondering when it was their turn . If you ever have to call 911 please take a moment to thank that person for doing that job.
Welfare recepiants make more .so why bother
After seeing and hearing the Douche Bag retards running the Wicomico County Emergency Services 911 Center.
Bob Culver needs to put one of those fire radios in this car and get one for his home so he can listen to those retards and see why he needs to clean house.
Thanks for an interesting look at this job. This is a job where you absolutely need calm nerves and the ability to think rationally and quickly. The good ones definitely need more pay & training to know how to deal with difficult situations.
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