911 Dispatchers in Oklahoma Face Staff Shortage Emergency

By Jacqueline Sit, News 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- They answer your 911 calls 24 hours a day, but now dispatchers are facing an emergency of their own. Across Oklahoma there is a shortage of dispatchers.

Every day is a challenge for Judy Elliott because being a dispatcher means saving or losing a life. But in this team of nine dispatchers, they are two short and that's taking a major toll.

"We can't always just run on one dispatcher. You always have to be staffed," said Judy Elliott," a Wagoner County 911 dispatcher.

Public safety officials said dispatch call centers across the state are facing high turnover rates because of long hours and lots of stress.

"It doesn't always pay real well, you have to multitask. It's very stressful and a lot of people have decided it may not be the career for them," said Elliott.

At a recent Oklahoma Public Safety Conference, it's was a major topic of discussion.

"Staffing is absolutely critical here in the state of Oklahoma in many places. Dispatchers are required to work numerous hours of overtime just to make sure when an emergency happens someone is there to answer your 911 calls," said Tony Harrison with the Public Safety Group of Oklahoma City.

The shortage could also have a negative impact on the community.

"It's not good for public safety, sometimes 911 calls can hold if you have only one dispatcher, they may have to be on the call a little longer, which means it could take a little longer for people to get the help that need it," Elliott said.

The average career span is seven years for dispatchers but many leave after only one year. Judy Elliott has been a dispatcher for over 20 years and it 's a career she loves.

"You work in a very charged, very exciting career. It's something different everyday and you get to help people," said Elliott.

A study shows 97 percent of dispatchers will not work in the job long enough to retire because of a lack of retirement incentives. The safety conference hopes to address those issues along with retention and preventing turnovers.

Fortunately for area residents, the dispatcher shortage seems to be skipping over the metro. News 9 called several dispatch centers around Oklahoma City and none of them are reporting shortages.