The Chippewa Herald
CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Wis.鈥擡mployees at the Chippewa County Emergency Communications Center are feeling the effect of the St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital closure, and open staff positions at the dispatch facility have made the situation even more daunting.
Since the local hospital closed on March 22, ambulance trips from Chippewa County to Eau Claire for emergency medical aid take longer. Law enforcement officers are making trips to Eau Claire, Stanley or other locations for blood draws on suspects believed to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs that used to be done at St. Joseph鈥檚. The longer trips impact dispatchers who coordinate the activity of first responders.
鈥淏esides that, we鈥檝e seen an increase in non-emergency transports where people before maybe could get a shared ride or taxi ride up to St. Joe鈥檚 for an appointment or a commercial clinic for an appointment,鈥� said Tamee Foldy, Chippewa County Emergency Communications Center director. 鈥淪ince they don鈥檛 have that option now and are going into Eau Claire, they鈥檙e calling for an ambulance and basically they just need a ride.鈥�
Resources tied up longer
Emergency responders have decreased availability as turnaround times on calls have increased. Call volume is expected to increase because of warm weather and tourism.
鈥淲e may stay on calls longer while callers wait for responders to arrive. We may see more of that as it gets busy this summer and more people come into the area,鈥� Foldy said.
To compound matters, the center is not fully staffed, placing added strain on the county鈥檚 911 dispatchers.
The agency鈥檚 staff is managing the workload by leaning on their training and working overtime.
鈥淲e鈥檙e here. We鈥檙e good in a crisis, and we make sure every shift is fully staffed. I do not think our work is suffering because we are professionals. We still have three people taking calls every shift. They are just working a lot of overtime right now,鈥� Foldy said.
Critical work
The Chippewa County Emergency Communications Center is staffed 24 hours a day with dispatchers who are trained to answer 911 telephone calls, as well as dispatch law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services.
Dispatchers gather critical information from calls and relay information to responding units in the field. The team of dispatchers works in partnership with all of Chippewa County鈥檚 public safety agencies to ensure the safety and quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors.
鈥淲e have some of the best, most skilled people in this center,鈥� Foldy said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big job, but I am really proud of the work we do and think our staff are amazing.鈥�
The Emergency Communications Center is seeking new staff. Because of open positions, many staff are recording a significant amount of overtime.
Wade Davis is a dispatch supervisor at the Emergency Communications Center and said while the organization has a handle on the workload, upcoming events will stretch the team.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of overtime. A lot of hours right now. So we鈥檙e trying to disperse it as evenly as possible so it鈥檚 not overwhelming as of yet,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we have like a bunch of music fests coming, technology days and things at the fairgrounds that we need to staff with dispatchers just for the events. So that鈥檚 gonna throw a little bit of a kink in things.鈥�
鈥榊ou really make a difference here鈥�
Davis said despite the overtime, he loves the work.
鈥淚 just like making a difference, like you really make a difference here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a day that I think I鈥檝e worked where I didn鈥檛 go home and think, 鈥榃ow, I literally changed people鈥檚 lives today.鈥欌��
Foldy said the center has seven full-time staff with two people in training. Another six part-time staff are employed by the agency. Ideally, the center would have 14 full-time dispatchers. Three people are required to work for each 12-hour shift.
鈥淲e have 14 positions for full-time staff. Those are definitely not filled. We鈥檙e always trying to recruit people,鈥� Foldy said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a different skill set here. It鈥檚 almost like a unique personality, you know, where you could do 25 things at once. Some people can, some people can鈥檛.鈥�
Foldy said the shift length can be a factor that deters good applicants.
鈥淲e work 12-hour shifts and so a lot of employees find child care can be really hard to manage with that timespan,鈥� she said.
Limited-term employees get to pick their hours, and they are limited to a certain number of hours per year.
鈥淲hereas our full-time staff is not limited. If there鈥檚 overtime, they can be forced in that aspect because they don鈥檛 have that cap on their hours,鈥� Foldy said.
Multitasking a must
Everyone who works at the center is cross-trained.
Some 911 dispatch centers have specialized call takers who take a call and enter it in the computer program before handing it off to a dispatcher who dispatches first responders, but Chippewa County Emergency Communications Center employees handle both tasks.
鈥淲e鈥檙e the call takers/dispatchers so they take the call, dispatch the call. It鈥檚 then transferred over where one of the other dispatchers whose main responsibility that day is radio traffic, takes the radio traffic and continues to answer that,鈥� Foldy said.
The communications center is the emergency and non-emergency contact for all of Chippewa County鈥檚 first responders. The center dispatches all law enforcement, EMS and fire agencies within the county.
That means multitasking is a must for 911 dispatchers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 doing 20 things at once. People call because they鈥檝e got something that they need to deal with. We have to remember that this is the worst thing in their life at this moment,鈥� Foldy said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the worst time in their life right now. And so this is very important.鈥�
In addition to staying organized, multitasking and being cool under pressure, dispatchers need to be able to handle lots of computer work.
鈥淭he computer is our radio. We鈥檙e in the middle of four screens that work together,鈥� she said.
More than 911 calls
The only dispatch center in Chippewa County handles all area 911 calls, but it does much more than that.
鈥淚n addition to handling all 911 and all administrative calls, the smaller police departments will forward calls here after hours. So we handle all of those,鈥� Foldy said. 鈥淪ome of the municipalities, like the electric and the water, that kind of thing, their calls are transferred here after hours, some of the public health stuff comes here after hours, the district attorney鈥檚 office after hours also comes here.鈥�
During storms or power outages, the dispatch center is bustling.
鈥淲e鈥檙e contacting electric companies, phone companies, cable companies, tow trucks, all of that goes through here. So we do a little bit of everything,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I think we see that if people don鈥檛 know who to call, they call us.鈥�
Dispatchers also use the mobile command center to be on scene at fairs and festivals in the area, Foldy said. That way they can oversee a large number of calls coming in from one location.
Davis said the hardest part of the job has been the noticeable increase in mental health crises handled by the center.
鈥淧robably within the last five years the amount of mental health cases that we鈥檙e dealing with, it just rains on you. It can be overwhelming,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou know, maybe twice a week we take a call from somebody that鈥檚 actually happy. Otherwise, you鈥檙e dealing with people鈥檚 worst days.鈥�
Davis said the group of dispatchers does a lot to support each other.
鈥淧eer support is key. My best friend works in the building, and we spend time together after tough days,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of us do. It鈥檚 a special group with special skills, and we get what the others go through. It鈥檚 very rewarding work.鈥�
(c)2024 The Chippewa Herald, Chippewa Falls, Wisc.
Visit The Chippewa Herald, Chippewa Falls, Wisc. at www.chippewa.com
Distributed by