Though staff levels have started to bounce back since the pandemic, the call center is not fully staffed.
Published: Nov. 3, 2023 at 9:26 AM AKDTFAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Fairbanks Emergency Call Center is a vital part of community safety and security. When you dial 911, you can be confident someone will pick up the phone and be ready to connect you to the help you need.
The Emergency Call Center dispatchers are the ones who are able to send the police, firefighters or ambulances straight to you. However, not all the desks are full. The number of staff at the call center hit a “bare-bones” low during the pandemic. Today the staff count is up to 11, which includes trainees and part-timers. The ideal number is 16. This has led to constant overtime. The short staff has not changed the number of people answering the phones, just the number of hours those people are working.
“I personally believe it’s one of the most important jobs there can be,” explained Kristi Merideth, the Fairbanks Emergency Call Center supervisor. “I mean, if you don’t have us you’re not going to get any police assistance, fire assistance or medical assistance. We are the ones who are sending the help to you and we provide the help before they get there.”
“It’s very stressful,” Merideth added, “but it’s a very rewarding job at the same time. We all love our job. We love to help people. We love being the one that somebody needs. Either the public needs us or the first responders need us and we are able to get them the assistance they need.” According to Merideth, there are currently no applicants to fill the five empty positions at the Call Center, which include dispatchers and supervisors.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ambulance struck while responding to emergency call, injuring 3An ambulance was struck by a vehicle while responding to a call, injuring three people.
Read more »
City Hall event a treat among Fairbanks Halloween festivitiesFor a few hours Tuesday, a costumed crowd enjoyed spooky scenes at Fairbanks City Hall
Read more »
Blind Cypress-Fairbanks high school band member turned challenges into successA Cypress Fairbanks High School band member turned challenges into success this week. The CyFair marching band went the extra mile to make sure a blind band member participated and excelled during the state championships.
Read more »
Ice Dogs break the streak at homeFairbanks Ice Dogs break six game losing streak, with a turn around against the Jets.
Read more »
Fairbanks residents rally in support of Mat-Su Valley studentsStudents, teachers and residents gathered to rally in support of students in the Mat-Su Valley, who also rallied against actions taken by their school board.
Read more »
Arizona Senate rivals move to the center in independent-minded swing stateHailey Bullis is an associate news editor at the Washington Examiner, where she has also worked as the homepage editor. Previously, she worked as a stringer for the Free Lance-Star and Fairfax County Times, where she covered local news and events. She graduated from George Mason University and is from Stafford, Virginia.
Read more »