Knox County has to rent extra workers earlier than it could take 911 calls once more
Simply weeks after dropping its permission to take 911 calls, Knox County’s emergency dispatch is hiring — hoping it could add and prepare sufficient workers to renew its position as the general public security answering level for the county.
The Knox County Regional Communications Heart closed in early August for lack of workers after working with solely 5 out of the traditional 13 staff since January. Earlier this month, the middle misplaced its permission from the state to take 911 calls and be a public security answering level.
Within the meantime, Knox County emergency calls are being routed to Waldo County Regional Communications Heart. The dispatchers there then ship computerized messages to dispatchers in Knox County who alert emergency responders.
With a view to reinstate its place as a public security answering level, Knox County Regional Communications Heart must rent and prepare sufficient workers to deal with a 24-hour answering service, mentioned Susan Faloon, media liaison for the Maine Public Utilities Fee.
Knox is hoping to get again as much as 13 staff, mentioned Edward Glaser, District 1 commissioner for Knox County. To draw extra staff, they’re engaged on wage will increase and hiring a marketing consultant to find out the most effective plan of motion.
“The best way we’ve structured it, all of these 13 folks have been licensed to do all the completely different jobs {that a} dispatch middle has — reply 911, dispatch each police and fireplace — and it won’t be essential to construction it fairly that approach,” Glaser mentioned. “Although we’re nonetheless going to have 13 folks, it could be that not all of them want the identical type of licensing.”
For now, Knox’s dispatch middle has 5 full-time staff, six potential per-diem staff, and presents for full-time positions to a different three, Glaser mentioned. However not all of these staff might be educated for 911 dispatch immediately, since they want lessons from the state, and people lessons aren’t being provided proper now.
Glaser mentioned Knox County hopes to get this performed inside six months. Throughout this era, Faloon mentioned the Emergency Providers Communications Bureau will intently monitor the dispatch middle’s progress.
Whereas Knox County works via these points, the Rockport Choose Board voted to withhold its fee to the dispatch middle till the whole lot appears to be secure.
However for now, Glaser mentioned the whole lot goes the best way it’s imagined to. There could also be some technical points, however Glaser mentioned these will likely be dealt with as they come up.
“Generally when it doesn’t work is whenever you be taught probably the most,” Glaser mentioned.
In Waldo County, the dispatch middle is absolutely staffed, so that they’re capable of tackle the additional work for now, mentioned Michael Larrivee, director of communications for Waldo County.
However response instances are a priority so Waldo County’s dispatch middle is altering laptop programs to verify response instances don’t change for each Waldo and Knox, Larrivee mentioned.
The pc programs are arrange so Knox dispatchers can see what Waldo staff are writing in real-time, and might alert emergency responders as quickly as potential. Glaser mentioned there could also be points with Waldo County’s dispatchers being acquainted with the areas in Knox County, however for now, nothing like that has arisen.
“We’re making an attempt to give you concepts for the long term, as nicely,” Larrivee mentioned. “So if this had been ever to occur once more to both county, then we’ve one thing in place to assist one another.”
