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Norfolk, Virginia Beach emergency dispatcher shortage means callers wait longer for help during emergencies

In some cities, fewer dispatchers mean that people with emergencies may hear the phone ring for prolonged periods of time or even have their call get a hold message.

NORFOLK, Va. — When you call 9-1-1, you don't think twice about whether someone will quickly answer on the other end. It's supposed to be a given.

In some Hampton Roads cities, though, it's not. The line might ring and ring, or even go to a hold message, delaying how quickly you're helped.

13News Now reporter Madeline Schmitt sat down with city leaders in Norfolk and Virginia Beach to learn more about a critical dispatcher shortage.

"They are the first of the first responders," Jim Redick, the director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for Norfolk, said.

"It's a tough job," Stephen Williams, director of Emergency Communications and Citizen Services for Virginia Beach, said.

On a Wednesday afternoon in Virginia Beach, the tall, bright room that houses the city's dispatch center was buzzing with activity. Although, it's not swarming with workers.

Red lights illuminated at each work station as the call-taker picks up the line.

"Can you separate yourself from her, sir? I need you to talk to me and not her," a dispatcher was overheard saying to a citizen.

There are several TVs mounted around the room for all to see. They remain white until a 9-1-1 caller is placed in a queue. Then, the screen turns red and the timer starts. We saw it reach 46 seconds that October day. 

For 46 seconds, someone waited to explain their emergency and get help on the way.

"Our business is unpredictable," Williams said. 

Some days, no one is placed in a queue.

It's a nearly identical scene in Norfolk, just in a much darker room with short ceilings. The timer on the TV screen kicks on every time someone must wait for their call to be answered. 

Both cities are significantly short on 9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers, with double-digit vacancy numbers.

"Ideally, we should be staffed upward around 72, and we're staffed lower than 60," Redick said.

Virginia Beach has a dispatcher academy taking place now, with 9 expected graduates. Their vacancy number will be 22, Williams explained.

"It takes a special type of person to answer call after call from people who are typically having the worst day of their life," Redick said.

The National Emergency Number Association set a standard that says 90 percent of 9-1-1 calls should be answered in 10 seconds or less.

"We're falling short of that. We're doing the best that we can with the folks that we got," Redick said.

"Currently in Virginia Beach, we answer between 65 and 70 percent of your calls within 10 seconds," Williams said.

Portsmouth is another troubled city, falling short of the NENA standard at 75 percent of calls answered in 10 seconds or less. They are also down 5 dispatchers out of 33, total.

Both Norfolk and Virginia Beach say they strategically staff based on data. They've also made changes to recruit and retain employees, from pay to length of the academy.

But there are some external factors that are out of their control.

"It takes us typically somewhere around the range of 15 to 30 seconds today to get an address from a cell phone caller," Williams said. "That eats into that call which eats into how long the call taker is staying on the phone to get to that next call."

Cell phones also mean more people are calling on one incident. 

Williams said his dispatchers also get a lot of calls that don't warrant 9-1-1, but fall more into the 3-1-1 category. 

While the NENA standard is currently being reevaluated, Norfolk and Virginia Beach still need more people.

"There is an opportunity for folks to be heroes, and we need those heroes right now," Redick said.

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