Published: July 15, 2008 11:40 am         

Stressed out

Increasing dispatchers' hours not good answer

Whatever solution Allegany County and union officials work out for alleviating a 911 dispatcher staffing shortage, it should not be done at the expense of dispatchers' health.

Some dispatchers already are working 16-hour shifts because of manpower needs. But that can only add stress to what is considered one of the most stressful jobs found in the workplace.

Jim Bestpitch of the Western Maryland Central Labor Council said the union has submitted a proposal to the county to resolve the problem. Dick DeVore, acting division chief of the county's 911 center, said a temporary move to longer shifts would help manage the department's budget and employ the staff on hand "in the best possible way." He said the agency wants to find a scheduling arrangement that is best suited for the dispatchers while also meeting the needs of the agency.

The dispatcher's job is a tough one, with little room for error. Taking down a wrong address or failure to get pertinent information from a caller can easily have tragic results. Dispatchers must work with precision and with no time to delay.

And on any given day, a dispatcher may have to try to talk someone out of a suicide or try to dispatch help to a domestic assault case before someone is seriously injured - or worse.

Given that job description, is it any wonder that stress is frequently cited by dispatchers as one of the biggest drawbacks of the job?

The national average for a dispatcher's term of service is about two years. Of the county's 23 dispatchers, four are new hires. Although the turnover rate here has never approached two years, as stress levels continue, it may well happen.

The union's proposal will be discussed by Allegany County Acting Administrator David Eberly, County Attorney Bill Rudd and Human Resources Director Brian Westfall. Their top concern should be how to avoid dispatcher burnout and disenchantment.