MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — In the face of growing emergency call volumes, 911 dispatch centers across the nation are dealing with a crisis of their own — a severe shortage of personnel.
City and county governments, including those in Middle Tennessee, are finding it increasingly challenging to fill crucial 911 dispatcher positions.
Seth Russell, the director of the Murfreesboro communication center says when he assumed his role a few years ago, the center was managing a call volume exceeding 40,000. Now, they anticipate that figure to double.
Murfreesboro, a city experiencing rapid growth, currently operates with a staff of 33.
"Murfreesboro is growing, so when we took over, we're in the low 30s when it comes to authorized staffing, and really a small center, so our challenge is keeping up with that growth and getting ahead of that growth," said Russell.
Despite the current staff's efforts, Russell acknowledged that they still need to fill approximately 10 positions, a significant portion of which are backfills.
Murfreesboro is also in the works of adding an East and West division in the police department and the growth of the fire department further contributes to the demand for additional dispatchers.
A studyconducted by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch and the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) highlighted the widespread nature of the dispatcher shortage.
The study surveyed nearly 780 dispatch centers in 47 states, revealing that nearly every respondent reported a loss of employees in 2022. A staggering 36% of centers reported having fewer positions filled in 2022 than in 2019.
Russell pointed out various factors contributing to the shortage, including historical issues related to classification, recognition, pay, and work environment. He says some centers fare better than others due to varying levels of support.
The communications center is currently accepting applications.
In Rutherford County, the Sheriff’s Office is grappling with the need to fill six dispatcher positions, further underscoring the severity of the situation.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom
