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ValleyComm 911 director describes high call volume, staffing strain and peer-support efforts on Auburn mayor’s podcast
Summary
Vonnie Mayer, executive director of ValleyComm 911, told Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus that the regional dispatch center handles roughly one call every 47 seconds, requires frequent mandatory overtime and has invested in peer support, quality assurance and technology such as text-to-911 to improve outcomes and staff wellbeing.
Vonnie Mayer, executive director of ValleyComm 911, told Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus on the "That So Auburn" podcast that the regional dispatch center now receives calls roughly every 47 seconds and handles more than 1,800 calls a day, placing significant operational and emotional demands on staff.
"I'm in a comm center that every 47 seconds, they're getting a call, which is about over 1,800 calls in a day," Mayer said. "So quite a difference... from back in the late eighties to now." Mayer spoke about staffing, mandatory overtime, mental-health supports and how dispatchers help deliver lifesaving care over the phone.
The exchange came during a recorded conversation released for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. The interview, hosted by Nancy Backus, mayor of the city of Auburn, focused on the role of emergency call takers and dispatchers, how the job has…
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