by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 26, 2025 | Comm Center News
For years, Brown County has struggled to hire people to answer 911 calls and coordinate responses to emergencies. Its emergency dispatch center was among many that grappled with worsened staffing shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic.
But as the crisis eases nationwide, major shortages still beset Brown County’s 911 center. Despite past pay raises and other efforts, the county is missing more than one in three of its needed dispatchers. Industry experts say boosting pay isn’t enough to attract dispatchers nowadays. Departments must also boost morale, get creative with hiring and training and address the mental health toll the job takes.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 25, 2025 | Comm Center News
CANFIELD — Cheri Smith sits at the dispatch desk at the Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol with a box of Cheerios nearby and 1980s music on the radio at a low volume.
It’s Thursday — the day before her official retirement date — but she will work for another two weeks because she wants to be sure the post is well staffed through the Canfield Fair.
Friday marked 40 years and one month since her career as a dispatcher began, and this is hardly the first time she’s put her colleagues first.
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by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 24, 2025 | Comm Center News
Billie Shepperd was planning her daughter Sheila’s 60th birthday party in June 2020 when the phone rang.
She had been imagining family members traveling from Washington, DC, to celebrate at the beach with crab legs and potato salad, when she picked up to hear Maria Shepperd, her granddaughter and Sheila’s daughter, sobbing.
Maria was alone, performing chest compressions on her mother after she had fainted and stopped breathing. The 13-year-old had called 911 — like tens of millions of people do each year when they need help — then called Billie from another phone as she spoke to the dispatcher.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 22, 2025 | Comm Center News
WAMPSVILLE, NY — For the first time, Madison County leaders are linking potential 911 connectivity issues with proposed wind farms, saying the wind turbines will interfere with 911 communications.
Madison County says the proposed Liberty Renewals’ Hoffman Falls Wind Project will greatly impact public safety.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 21, 2025 | Comm Center News
WENATCHEE — RiverCom 911 has received a key approval from the state’s Project Review Committee, clearing the way for the agency to move forward with planning a new emergency communications facility. The committee gave unanimous support for RiverCom to use a General Contractor/Construction Manager (GC/CM) delivery method—an approach that brings contractors into the planning process before design is finalized.
RiverCom officials say this early collaboration is critical for a 911 center, where the system must function seamlessly from day one. By identifying potential issues early, GC/CM helps avoid delays, cut down on costly changes, and ensure taxpayer money is used efficiently.
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 21, 2025 | Comm Center News
The Lyon County Commission approved the purchase of a 4-month pilot with Hyper to automate 10 non-emergency call types for a total of $16,200 to be paid from the Dispatch Contractual Services fund.
The new program, developed by new San Francisco based startup Hyper, is designed to respond to calls related to utilities, parking, controlled burns, and other non-911 issues. An AI voice, customizable by gender and talking speed, will ask for information and process it, transferring the caller if needed.
