2 department heads resign

Leaders of Emergency Services, human resources step down

WEST CHESTER » Two high-ranking department heads in Chester County government have left their posts without apparent explanation, a county spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

Michael Murphy Jr., the director of the county’s Department of Emergency Services (DES), and Tiffany Sowers, the director of the county’s Human Resources Department, both tendered their resignations on the same day, leaving those departments without full-fledged leaders at a time when both are undergoing significant challenges. Their resignations were effective immediately.

The DES 9-1-1 Center, through which all emergency calls for police, fire and ambulance are routed, is experiencing serious staff vacancies, with almost two dozen empty positions at the crucial job. The county’s Human Relations operations would be intricately involved in the recruitment and hiring of personnel to fill those tele-communicator positions.

In addition to Murphy leaving his post unexpectedly, last month the deputy director of the county’s 911 Center, Ellen Pittman, left the county’s employ without public explanation.

A county spokeswoman on Tuesday confirmed all three departures, but declined to offer details of what might have been the reasons behind their departures, citing unspecified “personnel matters” the county does not comment on. But Communications Director Rebecca Brain attempted to assure county residents that the emergency oper

ations of the county would go on as usual.

“The welfare and safety of our citizens are our top priority, and our residents should be assured that all County services will continue without interruption,” Brain said in a statement.

Sowers’ current employment status was communicated to county employees via email on Monday. Murphy’s was not announced, however. In the instance of Murphy, his departure came just a week after he took part in the county’s recognition of the retirement of the outgoing director of DES training and development, and two days before National Firefighters Day.

Murphy was named as DES director in January 2019 after working for the department for 20 years. He took over for Bobby Kagel, who moved to the position of county administrator and who has reportedly taken over leadership of the DES on an temporary basis while the county looks for an interim director.

Most recently, Murphy oversaw the county’s emergency response to Hurricane Ida, which tore through the county in August 2021 causing enormous damage and leaving hundreds of residents displaced from their homes. But the DES has been challenged lately with the loss of many tele-communicators, in part because of inadequate pay levels, a situation that Sowers was tasked with addressing.

Murphy was well experienced in the call center. As platoon leader for the 911 system, Murphy had maintained national and state certifications in all emergency disciplines, and has led the county’s team of telecommunicators using advanced technology to provide timely and accurate emergency assistance to citizens contacting the 911 Center, according to the announcement when he was promoted to the DES director position three years ago.

According to Brain, there are 72 full-time 911 telecommunicator positions within the county and it currently has 20 full-time vacancies. She said the county is “working diligently to recruit new staff and retain our existing telecommunicators.”

Sowers had worked as head of Human Resources since June 2020, coming to the county from the world of private industry, where she had worked in the field since 2004. In April, she was part of the county team that rolled out a new pay grade system for county employees, ending a yearlong study of the compensation levels of the workers who make up county government.

In the announcement, Sowers said the current salary structure had made it difficult not only to attract new employees to the county’s offices but to retain those who have worked here for years — including in the 911 Center and the Chester County Prison, which round the clock staffing is a priority.

She noted the impact of the so-called “great resignation” — in which employees are reportedly finding it increasingly easier to jump from a poorly paying job to a better one as employers, both public and private, struggle to fill positions — had had on the county’s ability to hire and keep workers.

More than that, however, Sowers said it was important for the county to acknowledge the importance of its workers. “We want people to know we value them,” she said. “We want our employees to be able to live and work comfortably” in the county.

During his time served as Platoon Leader of 911 Operations, Murphy has worked with every Department of Emergency Services division, all four emergency responder disciplines and their advisory councils, other county departments and state and federal agencies.

A longtime resident of the county, Murphy has served as Emergency Management Coordinator and Deputy EMC for Caln, and has served as a firefighter with the Thorndale Fire Company since the age of 16. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration and a masters in Organizational and Strategic Leadership, both from Neumann University.

Before coming to work for the county, Sowers worked as vice president of human resources for Theraplay, a West Chester organization that provides occupational, physical and speech therapy, and feeding and concussion programs for children from birth to age 21. She also served as HR director for ViaOne Services in Kennett Square and for Physiotherapy Associates in Exton.

Sowers received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Millersville University, earned a master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from West Chester University, and her certifications include Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional. She resides in West Grove.

Commissioner Josh Maxwell said at the time of her hiring that, “The position of Director of Human Resources for Chester County, one of the area’s top employers, is an important one requiring comprehensive knowledge of HR policy and law, as well as the ability to successfully lead a large staff. Tiffany has already begun to embrace this role.”

Neither Murphy nor Sowers could be reached for comment.