MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – The Bureau of Emergency Communications is looking into solutions to address high call volumes that translate to long waits for 9-1-1 callers.
In November, 2020, the average wait for an answer when someone called 9-1-1 was 21 seconds, very close to the national standard of 20 seconds. But by May, 2021, the average wait had increased to 42 seconds, and reached 56 seconds by July.
“This is completely unacceptable. I want to be able to provide service,” said BOEC Director Bob Cozzie. “I’m a member of the community. I live in Multnomah County, and my family lives in this community.”
Cozzie said call volume to BOEC increased by more than 20% from July, 2020 to July, 2021. In addition, more than a dozen people on the operations floor either retired, took leaves of absence, were promoted, or resigned… READ MORE
