LANSING, Mich. — The Ingham County 911 Center may soon get some much-needed assistance as officials consider bringing in temporary dispatchers to help with staffing shortages.
- The county is looking at a $548,000 contract to bring in eight dispatchers for six months.
- Currently, only 25 of the center's 39 dispatchers are fully trained.
- Officials say the temporary help would reduce overtime and create "breathing room" for training.
WATCH: INGHAM COUNTY 911 CENTER SEEKS TEMPORARY DISPATCHERS TO REDUCE OVERTIME, TRAIN STAFF
The county is considering a contract with GetResQ911 to bring in eight dispatchers for six months at a cost of $548,000, according to Ingham County Controller Gregg Todd.
"We would fund that through what we have which is the telephone services fund," Todd said.
The move is intended to decrease the amount of overtime logged by workers in what is a 24/7 operation.
"It's a difficult job. It's a high stress job and it's not for everyone," Todd said.
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Bruce Gaukel, the 911 center's system's manager, said that while the temporary staff won't eliminate overtime completely, 'it's going to put a dent in it.'
Gaukel says the additional help would allow the center to focus on staff who are not yet fully trained. Currently, only 25 of the center's 39 dispatchers have completed their full training.
"But we want to get some breathing room for them so we can get this training accomplished so we can get our numbers up," Gaukel said.
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On one of its walls, the center maintains what it calls a Tree of Gratitude.
The tree's leaves are decorated with names of dispatchers who have made a difference on the job. Green leaves signify helping save a life, while blue or pink leaves indicate helping deliver a baby.
Gaukel hopes to have more of these difference-makers on board soon.
"If we can make that difference, if get those numbers up and those countable, trained bodies... we're just in a better place," Gaukel said.
The earliest a vote on the contract could happen would be at the next Board of Commissioners meeting on August 26.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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