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Turnover of emergency dispatchers concerning




Brian Fann

Brian Fann

Mayors from across Sumner County say they want answers when it comes to why emergency dispatchers have been leaving the county’s new consolidated dispatch center at a “very high rate” since the multi-million-dollar facility opened last year; especially when so many resident’s lives are at risk.

The Sumner County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) lost 30 dispatchers during its first 17 months in operation, according to data presented to its executive committee during a special-called meeting to address personnel issues and concerns on Dec. 13. Of those, 27 were voluntary resignations.

“It seems to be the operations committee opinion at this point (that) the ECC is kind of on life support,” said Hendersonville Fire Department Administrative Chief Brian Fann, who also serves as chairman of the ECC’s operations committee. “We’re losing experienced employees more quickly than we can get experienced employees back. So… you’re going to have quality of service issues because we’re losing the good ones quicker than we can get people back up to speed.

“We’re still having issues with incorrect addresses, incorrect dispatch information which is actually related to, I guess for lack of a better word, delayed response, and so those are the issues I’m most concerned with because we’re getting into direct life-saving issues.”

As a result of the departures, executive committee members – which include Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt, Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown, Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary, Portland Mayor Mike Callis and Westmoreland Mayor Jerry Kirkman – voted last week to have a human resources professional conduct employee satisfaction surveys as well as exit interviews with former employees to learn why they left.

The ECC’s budget includes funding for 49 dispatchers; however eight of those positions are currently unfilled. Four new dispatchers are expected to be hired Jan. 3.

“There will be turnover, but I think we’re experiencing a very high rate,” Brown said.

Opened in July 2017, the 9,000-square-foot Sumner County Emergency Communications Center was built with the goal of improving response times and reducing costs by bringing dispatchers from across the county to one central location.

In the beginning, ECC Director Rhonda Lea admitted the transition to the facility’s new computer, radio and phone systems was “a hot mess.” She added that the ECC’s staffing issues are not limited to Sumner County.

“We get a lot of feedback from a lot of different agencies and they have the same problem,” Lea said.

The ECC’s staff is currently so low that its training officer does not have time to train new hires, according to Fann. He added that “I don’t think we’d be sitting here” if the center was fully staffed with adequately trained personnel.

In addition to conducting interviews with former employees, the ECC’s executive committee also voted last week to give Lea 60 days to develop and present them with an action plan to improve retention and improve ECC operations.

County Executive Anthony Holt said there are “concerns out there” that need to be addressed regarding exactly why 27 former employees have resigned within 17 months.

 “It’s vitally important that we try to get this back on track,” he said.

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