It has been over two years since our dispatch center has been fully staffed. Currently, there are only six fully trained dispatchers. The minimum staffing for trained dispatchers is 12 in Douglas County. What happens when there are multiple 911 calls? Does this sound stressful and overwhelming? It sure is, especially when staffing is half what it should be. When a 911 call comes in, our dispatchers need to process the call, type in all required information, find the location of the emergency, determine what resources are needed, dispatch those resources, track them on GPS, give responding resources all the necessary information, all while staying on the line with the 911 caller to provide them with instructions and keep them calm. In addition, they handle mutual aid for Lyon County, Carson City, and Mono County. They serve as the primary dispatch center for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe Tribe Police, Tahoe Douglas Fire District, East Fork Fire Protection District, Alpine County Fire Department, and Alpine County Sheriff’s Office. Our dispatch center handles 911 calls south to Bear Valley, west to Stateline in Tahoe, east to Topaz Lake, north to Topsy Lane, and of course, all of Minden and Gardnerville. Our dispatchers have a tremendously difficult job, even at full staffing. But the job also comes with an extremely high-stress level, often mandatory overtime, and, in Douglas County, low pay when you consider the technically complex and multifaceted demands of the job. So why aren’t there enough dispatchers? They’re safe enough jobs, after all, involving desks and phones, not guns and hoses. More than 6,000 dispatch communication centers exist in the U.S., generally, locally run. Yet, daily, the foundation of public safety in our community is falling apart. Public safety is the fabric of a healthy and vibrant community. Behind the curtain of this beautiful community is a failing local government that cannot hire or retain employees. ![]() Is this being covered up by county officials? Unfortunately, due to low pay, poor work schedule, and poor county leadership, dispatch currently operates at only half of the minimum staffing. There is even less conversation when critical staffing issues occur in our dispatch center. Our dispatchers have saved countless lives in Douglas County, and they are rarely, if ever, recognized for their efforts. Without them, your call for help goes unanswered. ![]() Our dispatchers in Douglas County are some of the most remarkable and dedicated people we could ask for. When you call 911, you expect the phone to be answered immediately, knowing that at the same time, a team of trained professionals works through your emergency to get the right people to the scene. ![]() People intuitively know the implications of these shortages, expecting there will be first responders available to pull them from car wrecks, rescue them from burning houses and administer life-saving drugs in the case of an overdose or other medical emergencies.īut we’ve come across a less-noticed shortage that is just as critical to residents’ safety: The widespread difficulties our community is experiencing in hiring and retaining emergency dispatchers, the men and women who pull together the information that police, EMS, and firefighters need to reach and help people in trouble quickly. Even the local fire departments have struggled with staffing in the past. In recent years there’s been a lot of discussion about Douglas County’s failure to recruit enough employees to fill some of the most vital public sector jobs, including law enforcement and dispatchers.
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