![]() He and other chiefs said they expect common sense will come into play. They are in turmoil and are working toward becoming better. “It’s going to be over a year until we see a better system because it takes time to train and retrain dispatchers. “These changes aren’t going to happen in six months,” Myers predicted. Shrewsbury Fire Chief Tony Myers said he’s found Hobson to be very capable and said he’s confident Hobson can fix the 911 Center’s problems. West York Police Chief Matt Millsaps, also the borough’s public safety director, said he believes an aggressive hiring campaign is needed and said he and the borough will pitch in however they can. issues they have,” Damon said, adding that Hobson inherited a longstanding problem that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. I found him to be very receptive to talking about. “I’ve had several conversations with Matt (Hobson). York Area Regional Police Chief Tim Damon said he’s not yet sure if the changes could amount to a hardship for his officers and said he intends to ask the York County Public Safety Advisory Board to provide chiefs with information about how the center is set up and whether call volumes are being evenly distributed. ![]() “I don’t see it as overly burdensome on police departments.” alleviate pressure on the dispatchers,” he said. “The officers of Northern Regional police have been instructed to, when they can. Northern York County Regional Police Chief Dave Lash agreed the issue is one that York County’s public safety agencies need to help with. “There’s definitely been extra stress on the (911) staff because they don’t have the numbers to fill the trenches, so to speak.” “Obviously as police chiefs, we’re concerned because we’d like to know there’s enough dispatchers and call-takers,” he said. He noted that training dispatchers takes time and that fixing the 911 Center’s staffing issues will also take time. Lower Windsor Township Police Chief Dave Arnold said he and other chiefs want to continue conversations with 911 officials about how to fix the significant staffing shortage by increasing hiring and reducing turnover. ![]() “You’re not going to get rich being a dispatcher, but it’s a respectable career and they’re a very needed part of the emergency response system,” he said. “The bottom line is, we need to fix the staffing shortage.”ĭeardorff admitted it’s frustrating that more people aren’t applying for open 911 dispatcher positions. I’m looking - and other chiefs are looking - to come up with ideas,” Deardorff said. “We anticipate coming to them with solutions to help them fix the problem. Hobson previously met with York County’s police chiefs as well. Hobson met with York County’s fire chiefs on Monday night, according to Deardorff, who described the meeting as amicable. While it will change the way fire departments and companies handle things, the changes don’t put firefighters in danger, Deardorff said. The goal, Hobson wrote, is to “reduce the frequency and amount of time that our staff spends on the phone or doing tasks other than answering 911 calls and dispatching the appropriate agencies.”īut as president of the York County Fire Chiefs Association, Deardorff said he’s heard other fire chiefs express concerns, especially those serving areas with spotty cellphone service. "(I)t has become necessary for the 911 center to reduce the demands placed on the current staff by reducing the volume of non-emergency communications it has traditionally provided to public safety agencies.” “As you are aware, York County 911 is under considerable strain with regard to the limited number of staff that are available,” he wrote. 18 that was sent to all York County police chiefs, fire chiefs and EMS officials by 911 Director Matthew Hobson. The York Dispatch has obtained a copy of a two-page letter dated Sept. Ongoing staffing shortages at the York County 911 Center have caused the center’s director to reduce the frequency and kinds of nonemergency services that dispatchers have been providing to police, fire and EMS agencies.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |