9-1-1 dispatcher shortage part 1 (WA)
Click READ FULL ARTICLE to view the video broadcast.
911 call centers are experiencing a shortage of dispatchers (WA)
PACIFIC NORTHWEST – We rely on 911 to provide help and be there at all times, but over the years that’s become a challenge.
Especially, as the nation continues to see a shortage of 911 call takers. Several call centers in Central Washington say they have been experiencing this for years.
“911, what is the address of your emergency?”
When you call 911 there is always someone on the other end of the line, no matter the call, help is always provided. Even with call centers being short staffed.
“Habitually there’s always been a storage,” said Brad Coughenour, SunComm 911 Communications director.
Coughenour says
911 dispatchers needed in Northern New York (NY)
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) 911 dispatchers play a big role in keeping you safe in an emergency and there’s a need for them in New York’s North Country. Our Kelly O’Brien takes a closer look at what it takes.
They are the voices you hear in an emergency, connecting you to the help you need in seconds.
“It’s a gratifying job, you’re the first one that they talk to,” said Larry Bashaw, an Essex County 911 dispatcher.
Dispatching is not a job for the faint of heart. You’re dealing with emergencies in real-time, getting firefighters, police, state troopers, EMS or sheriff’s department to where they need to be.
“You can send people out….
Boonville PD dispatcher to retire after 42 years (MO)
Editors Note: Congratulations May Kay Swires
One thing that hasn’t changed since Mary Kay Swires started as a meter maid in 1978 is her employer.
After 42 years working for the Boonville Police Department, Swires is set to retire as a dispatcher at the end of November. The department is hosting a retirement reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday at the department.
Swires grew up in Boonville and spent a few years in Sedalia after attending State Fair Community College there. She came back home in 1978 and applied for the job with the police department.
Their first choice was….
Through sleet and snow: Flagstaff dispatchers trained to stick it out (AZ)
As the first significant snow of the season approached northern Arizona this week, many made the decision to drive slow and ease into the curves on the road.
There were reports of some crashes, like an overturned Coors beer truck on South Lake Mary Road and a person who walked away with minor injuries from slamming their car into a tree. But meanwhile, dispatchers working out of the Flagstaff Police Department and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office building were taking calls all day to ensure they helped everyone they could.
Katie Brandis, a communications manager who oversees the dispatchers, couldn’t….
