It’s National Telecommunicators Week, a week to recognize those who are lifelines to citizens and first responders as they help save lives in times of crisis. Locally in Warren County, eight dispatchers, 911 operators, and telecommunicators are in the center dispatching for all sixteen emergency service departments across the county, says Monmouth Police Chief Joe Switzer:
“We currently have eight right now and we are short staffed. We are trying to build the numbers up to have as many people as we can dispatch. We like to have two per shift in the dispatch center. For quite a while now, we have been down to one that covers kind of in between two shifts. It’s been tough. We have hired a series of people that either couldn’t do the job or didn’t want to do the job once they got into it. It is difficult to find that right person and get them trained up.”
Chief Switzer reports dispatchers go through a 12-week period of training before being put on their own.
**Written by WMOI/WRAM Director of Communications Kelsey Crain**
