Brown County Dispatch faces morale crisis amid staffing shortages and overtime demands (WI)

Hours of overtime are leading to low morale among Brown County Dispatch employees.

Dispatcher Kirk Parker said fluctuating schedules are unsustainable.

“The majority to stay later in the day than originally agreed upon, affecting home life, medical appointments, court custody arrangements, after school kids sporting events, childcare,” he said during public comment.

Bipartisan Senate legislation would reclassify 911 personnel, require new FCC reporting

Text of the bill—S.725, the “Enhancing First Response Act”—was not available on www.congress.gov at the time of this posting, but a press release posted on Klobuchar’s website states the bill would update the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) of 911 dispatchers from “clerical workers” to “protective service workers.” In addition, it would require the FCC to take the following actions:

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Communications Officer Carol Hunter Retires After Nearly 40 Years of Lifesaving Calls (MO)

Hunter began her career in 1985, when the police station was still housed in the historic Carnegie Library building on Broadway. At the time, the department’s communication system was rudimentary compared to today’s standards, relying on a push-button 911 phone connected to a cassette recorder and just four radio channels. Dispatchers operated with minimal computerization, relying on handwritten logs and time clocks to track calls and officer movements.

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Brown County 911 form helps responders provide care faster – (WI)


BROWN COUNTY – To get emergency services to county residents faster, Brown County Public Safety Communications has created a system for citizens to upload important personal and residential information for emergency responders in the case of a 911 call.

When people call 911, they are often worried about how responders are going to get inside their or their loved one’s home, radio room supervisor Jessica Skalecki said. The longer it takes for responders to enter the home, she said, the longer it takes to get care to the person in need, making access a concern across the board.

City of Brodhead awarded Innovation Planning Grant for regional emergency dispatch … (WI)

BRODHEAD — The City of Brodhead is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $72,295 from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Innovation Planning Grant to conduct a feasibility study on consolidating emergency dispatch services from the Brodhead Police Department, City of Monroe Police Department, and Green County Sheriff’s Office into a unified public safety answering point (PSAP). This initiative aims to improve response time, enhance interagency communication, reduce costs, and increase service quality across the county.