America is facing a critical 911 staffing shortage, here’s why

MASON, Mich. (InvestigateTV) - They’re the calm voice on the other line when you call 911, but fewer emergency dispatchers are answering that call. It’s a staffing problem one survey found reaches every state.

Between 2019 and 2022, the typical vacancy rate for 911 centers was around 25%. Key factors for people leaving included stress and overtime.

In Ingham County, Michigan, the 911 director said he’s dealing with a staffing crisis, operating at about 30% below the target staffing level. The people filling that gap are paying the price.

The people who answer 911 calls and send help right away are the first first responders.

When former Michigan State University assistant basketball coach Mike Garland’s heart stopped beating, Ingham County dispatcher Julia Jordan became a member of what he calls his survival team.

“Because of you guys and all that you do here, you know, I’m able to be here speaking with you. Have a second chance at life. It’s great,” Garland said.

Jordan is one of the full-time dispatchers working mandatory overtime in a 911 center that takes up to 600 calls a day.

Andy Daenzer is the director. He said the biggest challenge isn’t finding applicants — it’s finding the right ones.

“We have had a good number of applicants, but finding the right ones — the ones that can get through a background, a sit-along, an interview, and then training — that’s the biggest piece,” Daenzer said.

Two national emergency dispatch groups surveyed the country in 2023 and found this is an alarming trend.

Nationally, one in four 911 positions sat vacant between 2019 and 2022 because of burnout, low pay and mandatory overtime. 911 centers can’t train people fast enough to keep up. But in Ingham County, they’ve shortened the training using new technology.

Cody Page has been answering calls in Ingham County for nine years. He said it takes a special kind of person.

“It’s an up and down adrenaline level. We like to call it the roller coaster. You can go from taking a CPR call to taking a parking complaint the very next time,” Page said. “So we have to look for those special people. And they may not know they’re that special person.”

He said a new training program is working. What used to be a year is now down to under six months.

“Almost better because we’re using a little bit of AI here and there to help with our training program now,” Page said.

Short-staffed or not, the calls don’t stop.

“We have to dig ourselves out of this hole first and get to a place where there’s just a handful of openings. And that’ll be easier to keep up with,” Daenzer said.

For dispatcher Julia Jordan, that push is personal. Nearly three decades in and she’s not leaving anytime soon.

“Every day is different. It’s never a boring job, and we get to help people no matter what,” Jordan said.

911 call taker Bobby Booker is also a member of Mike Garland’s survival team. She took the call that saved his life, then drove nearly 40 miles just to hear him speak.

“You know, you did that on your own. You know, on your own, and that was amazing. I mean, it tells me that you really care about the job that you do,” Garland said.

“I really do. It is nice to be able to help,” Booker said.

While they work, employees also can hang out with Jessie, Ingham County 911’s therapy dog.

She joined the dispatch center two months before the 2023 mass shooting at Michigan State University.

“She can sense the stress in the room. So if someone needs it, she will just come and lay like this. And just sit there so you can just turn around and talk to her or pet her. She’s just really there for us, anytime we need her,” said Misty Harris, the staff services manager.

Jessie came from an organization that rescues shelter dogs and trains them to serve as service dog for veterans and in public safety settings.

The goal for Ingham County is to grow from nearly 30 full-time dispatchers to 52, with starting pay of $24 an hour, topping out at $33. Dispatchers can also earn more through overtime, training and shift pay.