LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Across the nation there's a shortage of emergency dispatch workers, and Louisville Metro Emergency Services (LMES) is feeling that impact here at home.
When you call 911 you'd expect someone to pick up quickly to offer emergency assistance, but MetroSafe needs the community's help in ensuring the agency has enough dispatchers to answer emergencies.
LMES Executive Director Jody Meiman told WHAS11 some dispatchers are having to work voluntary, sometimes mandatory, overtime hours to make sure every emergency across the city gets a timely response.
"The explosion that happened a couple of weeks ago we received over 130 calls immediately when that took place," Mieman said. "We still have a minimum staff we have to [keep]. We may get 10-20 911 calls that could happen from just someone sleeping on a park bench. From that to a major fire that's going on."
MetroSafe's dispatch center is the heart of information when someone calls for help.
Through an open records request, one emergency call WHAS11 received highlighted how a major collision can overwhelm the agency working hard to save lives.
One caller trying to report a deadly wrong-way crash on Nov. 3 voiced his frustration on how long it took for his call to come through.
The dispatcher explained that about 20 calls came in at the same time and how they were on the line with a person who witnessed the crash.
"They're processing and sending that call," Mieman said. "It's not waiting on all those other calls to take place and be questioned about the other additional information."
That information is then relayed to first responders like the Louisville Fire Department (LFD) through a new digital system they've just installed called Mach Alert.
"You can have someone downtown with a medical incident, a fire in the west end and someone in the south end with another medical incident," LFD Spokesperson Donovan Sims said. "All of these runs can be sent out at one time."
MetroSafe is short 40 dispatchers and have the minimum team required to keep operations going.
Meiman said if anyone calls 911 and it takes awhile to get a response, stay on the line.
"You're in a cue, don't hang up," he explained. "Because if you hang up and call back you're going to occupy two call takers because your number is still in there."
But MetroSafe needs the public's help and interest to keep the city safe.
If you're interested in a career as a dispatcher there is still time to apply for the next class starting up in January. To find out more information click here.
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