‘We are the first, first responder’: 911 dispatchers recognized as metro-area faces shortages

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - This week, the nation recognizes and celebrates its “unseen” first responders.

April 10-16 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, a celebration that comes as many emergency call centers face worker shortages.

There’s a significant need for 911 dispatchers across the metro area, which includes Henrico County.

“We are the first, first responder,” said Henrico Co. Emergency Communications Manager Alysa Morgan.

Morgan said it takes a special person to handle the expectations of the job.

“You have to really be able to care, to show that you can do that, and to help people through what could be the worst day of their lives,” Morgan said.

While many different calls come into the emergency communications center, the skill requirement is still the same.

“You have to be good with a computer, you have to multi-task, to listen, type and listen to dispatch to listen to calls, to keep people updated with a lot of things going on at one time,” Morgan said.

In 2021, the Henrico Emergency Communications Center (ECC) received more than 180,000 911 calls, with roughly 1,600 texts to 911. From January through April 10, there have been nearly 41,000 911 calls, with more than 1,000 texts.

The ECC can support up to 73 public safety dispatchers and like many other agencies, Henrico is looking to hire.

Since seconds count, other county employees are also picking up the phones working in the ECC.

“It’s really important that we have enough staff so we can answer the phone immediately once you call,” Morgan said.

However, beyond just the 911 calls, these men and women also answer the non-emergency lines:

• 2021: 205,746 calls
• 2022: 45,691 calls (so far)

“Sometimes it might seem like a lot of questions, sometimes you may just want the help to hurry up and get there, but they’re helping you the whole time - as soon as they answer the phone to the time the help gets there, they’re right there with you,” Morgan said.

As a way to say thanks to the ECC team, there’s a spirit week underway.

“We’re trying to do something fun where there’s different attire, different spirit day, different food like a taco bar one day,” Morgan said. “Giving some gifts to some folks just to show how appreciated they are and how important they are to our community.”

While the number of vacant positions was not immediately available in Henrico, the deadline to apply for the 93rd Basic Communications Academy is May 31.

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