Ann Marie Bush, Topeka Capital-Journal (Kansas)

“911. What is your emergency?”

“We are terribly short-staffed, and the overtime is stressing us.”

That sums up the predicament of the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center, which can have as many as 45 communications specialists to handle three shifts, according to the county website.

The trouble is, however, there were only 27 dispatchers on staff from Jan. 1 to May 1, leading to a lot of mandatory overtime and little sleep for some communications specialists, or dispatchers.  

Further, the county has difficulty finding qualified people to apply for the jobs, which have union protection.

On the county’s website, a job listing for a Communications Specialist 1 offers an initial salary of $13.50 an hour, or about $28,000 annually.

The communications center dispatches about 251,000 calls each year.

Last year alone, one dispatcher earned more than $26,000 in overtime pay, and four of the 27 communications specialists each earned more than $10,000 in overtime from Jan. 1 to May 1, 2013.  

Out of a $1.1 million payroll for Shawnee County’s emergency communications center for 2012, overtime accounted for $226,286.75 – nearly 19 percent.

From Jan. 1 to May 1 of 2013, that number grew to 22.75 percent.

A former communications specialist, as well as current communications specialists, said they enjoy the job, but the overtime hours are putting a strain on their lives.

Officials with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the center, said they are aware of the problem and are working to remedy the situation.

“The staffing and overtime is a concern in not only our center but others” across the country, said Undersheriff Terry Maple. “We are trying to get some people in here.”

The communications center dispatches for Topeka fire and police departments, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, and rural fire and police departments, Maple said.

“That puts a unique demand on all of our folks,” he said.

Nancy Ganson, assistant director of communications for the dispatch center, said it takes about six or seven months to train a communications specialist.

“You don’t just throw them in there,” Maple said. “They have to go through the training.”

Turnover rates can be high because of the stress and demands of the job. In 2007, turnover among the center’s employees was 41 percent, according to previous Topeka Capital-Journal articles. Overtime posed a problem that year as well. The shortage of dispatchers was costing the county between $12,000 and $14,000 in overtime pay every two weeks.

In 2012, there were on average 28 specialists. So far in 2013, there are 27.

“We aren’t anywhere near our capacity,” Ganson said.

While communications specialists said they can voluntarily sign up for overtime, they often are forced to work overtime.

“We don’t have the option of closing down shop.” Maple said.

In Johnson County, sheriff’s deputies serve as dispatchers, said Master Deputy Tom Erickson.

“We always have staff,” Erickson said.

Part of the reason Johnson County uses sheriff’s deputies instead of civilians is to cut down on the amount of overtime, Erickson said.

“That’s the way it has been for many, many years,” he said.

In Shawnee County, communications specialists work an eight-hour shift. However, they often work 12-hour shifts. Some specialists are only getting four or five hours of sleep each day because they have children and families to care for, too, something that officials say causes concern.

“Absolutely,” Maple said. “That’s why we try to manage how long they are here. It is a concern for officers, for everybody. We have folks who try to watch that and get them time off. They look after each other pretty close in there.”

Maple said the sheriff’s office has been busy recruiting and is actively looking for people “who want to take on a challenge.”

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