Metro-Richmond area facing shortage of 911 operators
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The City of Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover Counties all say they are in need of 911 operators.
“This is a way if you don’t want to be on the frontlines to really be that first, first responder,” said Rebekah Taylor, Henrico Police Communications.
Currently, the Richmond Department of Emergency Communications is short 22 dispatchers or 1/3 of the staffing it needs to answer your emergency calls.
The city says it answers more than 85% of 911 calls within 10 seconds and more than 80% of non-emergency calls within 10 seconds. During times of high call volume, callers have to stay on the line longer until their call is answered.
“It’s better to just remain on the line. Do not hang up. If you hang up, you will go back to the queue, and you’ll be waiting again. Just wait. Hold on. I promise you, we will get to you,” said Kenya Washington, Richmond Department of Emergency Communications.
Chesterfield reports 18 vacancies or 25% of its dispatch force. And in Hanover, they still have nine openings in an office of 36.
“You also have to think about the flexibility of the job. There’s a lot of jobs right now offering work from home, flex in hours, and here you can’t flex too much because you have to be here to support the citizens,” said Washington.
Henrico Police dispatcher Rebekah Taylor has been on the other end of the line for 11 years. She says while the job can be tough, it’s very rewarding.
“There’s always those calls that, where you have someone who is in need. Someone that is having a really bad day, that you’re just that calm voice on the other end of the phone,” said Taylor.
If you are concerned about your 911 call, in Richmond you can file a complaint.
Also, in Richmond, if the emergency still is in progress, please call 804-646-5100 and ask to speak to the on-duty communications supervisor.
If the incident is past, please call 804-646-5911. You also may contact the Department Director Stephen Willoughby at 804-646-5142 or email stephen.willoughby@richmondgov.com. Please provide the time and date of the call, and the telephone number the call was placed from, if possible.
Here’s information to apply for a dispatcher position:
Richmond: Apply for the emergency communications officer opening, now until March 22, HERE or HERE.
Henrico: Learn more about the job, HERE.
Chesterfield: The county is accepting applications through Sunday. Anyone can apply online HERE or via Chesterfield’s career webpage.
Hanover: Click HERE to apply.
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