Overtime emergency

Strained 911 workers endanger public safety

Under- staffing of Allegheny County’s 911 center has reached the danger level and it’s time to sound an alarm on what boils down to bad management.

Mandatory overtime resulting from a staffing deficit is not good for the dispatchers being forced to do the OT. Nor is it good for those calling the emergency center who should be able to expect that the person on the receiving end of the call isn’t at the tapped dregs of a double shift. Should be isn’t necessarily what is. In fact, workers at the county 911 center were issued more than 3,800 mandatory OT shifts in 2018. That’s 17% higher than the number the year before. And it doesn’t count those who worked voluntary overtime. The statistics were analyzed by Post- Gazette reporter Daniel Moore.

At its core, the problem is not enough workers.

The reason is partly endemic: Emergency center dispatching by its nature is a high- stress, demanding career that can result in burnout and resignations. And it’s partly systemic: Employees retire and management fails to replace them.

The result: The weight of the operation rests on the overburdened and sagging shoulders of the rank- andfile workers.

It isn’t right and it isn’t wise. Jobs that deal with life- and- death situations — 911 dispatchers, police officers, nurses, firefighters, doctors — are best filled by people who strive to be well- rested, adequately fed, and free of mental distractions. Overtime — voluntary or mandatory — is not conducive to overall good health.

County employees responsible for scheduling workers can’t pull rabbits from their hats to fill the vacancies on the employee roster. If there are no- shows at the start of the shift, someone heading home will be asked to stay. And this creates a cycle that perpetuates the problem: burnout from overuse.

The number of staff tops 200 but that’s not nearly enough to keep the 911 center humming with happy, competent workers.

Management has allowed its ranks to thin and must apply energy to the task of plumping the roster.

The answer is not unduly complex: Offer good pay, attractive fringe benefits and a reasonable work environment. More prospective candidates will come knocking and the revolving the door will stop spinning.