911 Call Centers Facing Staffing Crisis
Local emergency communications centers "are definitely in a crisis" on staffing, APCO President Angela Batey said at an APCO conference Tuesday. Average turnover for ECCs was 29% in 2018, which was up from previous APCO surveys, and it's likely worsened since then, Batey said. Increased demands for public safety services coupled with the low national unemployment rate are driving the problem, she said. Batey said there should be better retention and recruiting, plus streamlined hiring.
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The conference focused largely on human resources approaches, but Batey told us the issue could be improved by OMB recategorization of ECC staffers under the Standard Occupational Classification System as protective services workers rather than clerical and administrative workers. "It's really for the recognition these people do live-saving work," she said, noting in some cases reclassification could result in improved pay and benefits.
Reps. Norma Torres, D-Calif., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., introduced in the 116th and 117th Congress the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (Saves) Act (HR-2351), which would require the OMB recategorization. It never got out of the Education and Labor Committee. Batey said congressional action isn't needed but could help prompt OMB. She said it's not clear if the bill will be reintroduced.
Hiring and retention at Montana's Gallatin County 911 Communications has been hammered by skyrocketing property costs and rents in the Bozeman area, said Director Tim Martindale. He said 60% of employees lost in the past two years moved out of state, often taking jobs at 911 centers elsewhere. He said the county leased apartments for county employees. Directors of centers in Colorado and Texas said their centers tried to be more flexible with workers' work/life balances. Multiple call centers discussed things they did to streamline the hiring process so fewer job candidates drop out during the process.
Employers everywhere are struggling with hiring and retention, said Amber Clayton, Society for Human Resource Management senior director-knowledge center operations. Nationwide there are about 0.6 unemployed people for each job opening, meaning not enough skilled people for each opening, she said. The Labor Department projects about 10,900 openings each year for public safety communications over the next decade, mostly due to people retiring or otherwise leaving, meaning staffing challenges are “going to be huge if you don’t act now and make some changes,” Clayton said. She said compensation, work/life balance and benefits are the biggest reasons people quit, but people are less likely to leave or look for other jobs if they enjoy the workplace culture. “It’s not just a money matter,” she said.