Nation's 911 Call Centers Struggle to Maintain Appropriate Staffing Levels

While the nation grapples with a shortage of restaurant workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, another kind of worker is reaching critical shortage levels: call center workers. These workers are often low-paid and face an uncommon amount of stress and pressure coping with callers’ needs all day long while following performance standards set by their employers.

For call center workers who handle emergency calls, the pressure is even more intense…and the pay often isn’t much higher. Some in the industry fear the shortage of workers will mean fewer people can count on getting help when they dial 911.

Austin, Texas is one of many U.S. cities facing a critical shortage of 911 workers, according to a recent article by local news source KXAN. After receiving a viewer tip expressing concern about staffing at Austin’s 911 center, KXAN’s investigative team began looking into the issue, speaking with current and former call takers, dispatch center leaders and city council members about the staffing challenges.

“Staffing turnover at the Austin 911 Communications Center is high,” according to the investigative report. “According to rosters we obtained through a Texas Public Information Act request, there have been 100 departures since the beginning of 2019. That includes 911 operators, dispatchers, and supervisors under the Austin Police Department. Eighty of those 100 employees resigned.”

Worker reported extreme burnout, overwork and being unable to take a breath in between calls.

“Very, very often calls do get put on hold, because there’s just not enough people to answer,” one worker reported. Other employees expressed fears that in the event of a major event, such as a weather emergency, the 911 would fold completely, leaving citizens to fend for themselves.

While many call center workers experience stress, the pressure faced by emergency dispatch workers is extreme. Mistakes can cost lives. Lt. Ken Murphy, manager of APD’s Communications Division.

“It’s call after call. And, it’s always an emergency,” Murphy said. “Imagine talking to someone on the phone, one after the other, who is having, in their mind, the worst day of their life.”

Murphy noted that one of the reasons for the shortage is that few people finish the training and decide to accept a job. Recently, a group of 11 applicants for 911 call center positions resulted in only two people making it through the process to even begin training.

“We average about a two percent hire rate of all applications,” he said.

Edited by Luke Bellos