Laura Webster, operations director for Knox County 911, told the Board of Commissioners that the county had 4,587 calls for service that resulted in public safety staff being dispatched.
The update provided details on call volume and staffing at the county's emergency communications center. Webster said that "we haven't had a lot of mandated overtime. Now we have volunteer overtime that people pick up," according to a video recording of the meeting.
Webster also reported several job interviews have been completed with more in progress. Two full-time employees were hired along with one part-time worker, who is a former employee returning to the department. Webster said they are looking to fill three more full-time positions. During Public Safety Telecommunicator Week, which began April 12, staff participated in theme days and received awards, gifts, and prizes, according to the video recording.
According to the same video recording, 911 calls for Knox County in March reached 1,935. The center handled 5,807 non-emergency calls and dispatchers made 3,058 outgoing calls during the month. Friday was identified as the peak day for both emergency and non-emergency calls. The busiest hour for 911 calls was at 4 p.m., while non-emergency calls peaked at 3 p.m. Webster said it was "pretty much business as usual" at the center.
Webster noted that new dispatch stations are scheduled to be installed on June 2. Four desktops were replaced on existing stations and will be used with the new equipment once installed. Preparations are underway for Knox County to join the Emergency Services Internet Protocol Network (ESINet), which will connect all Ohio 911 centers and enable handling of calls, texts, and other media from the public to public safety answering points. Webster said she is working on backend preparations so systems can communicate effectively.
"The ESINet will connect our center with the state and any other center that is also on it and connected, and it will make transferring of calls and location and all of that a lot easier," Webster said according to the video recording. "It also will give us the ability for text and video to 911 for our county. We're pretty excited to get that rolled out, and I'm excited to get it done before I retire."
