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BOEC director reports staffing and response improvements after multi-year surge in 9-1-1 calls
Summary
Bob Posey of the Bureau of Emergency Communications told the council that after multi-year staffing shortages and record call volumes, hiring, training and technology changes have cut average 9-1-1 answer times and non-emergency wait times significantly.
Bob Posey, director of the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), briefed the Troutdale council on April 8 about improvements in 9-1-1 call handling after a multi-year surge in emergency and non-emergency demand.
Posey said BOEC experienced a 35% increase in 9-1-1 calls since 2018, with a sharp rise during the COVID and social-unrest years that led to severe staffing shortages and a peak of 40 vacancies in February 2023. He described a multi-pronged recovery that included expanded recruitment and outreach, 14 back-to-back training academies, targeted pay premiums for trainers, deployment of technology to reduce workload (automated abandoned-callback handling, alarm-company protocols, and non-emergency phone triage) and use of 311 referrals to move non-emergency work away from 9-1-1.
The effort, Posey said, has yielded measurable improvements: by the end of 2024 the agency's average 9-1-1 answer time was 43 seconds for the year, down from a 2022 peak that averaged 65 seconds; he reported year-to-date averages in 2025 near 24 seconds. Non-emergency wait times fell from a peak averaging roughly 14 minutes in 2022 to about 3.5 minutes year-to-date, with some recent weeks below that mark.
Posey credited broader outreach, media transparency and partnerships—including Portland’s Street Response and expanded 311 service—for helping reduce calls to 9-1-1 and for improving recruitment. He said BOEC has certified a substantial number of new staff, onboarded 106 people through recent hiring, and moved from 65 fully certified staff earlier in the crisis to 93 fully certified staff at the time of the report, with plans to continue over-hiring to stay ahead of attrition.
Councilors asked clarifying questions on how wait times are measured (answer times begin when the call connects to 9-1-1) and on day/night variances; Posey said staffing is adjusted across shifts and that the agency is now seeing steady improvements across the day. He emphasized a goal of reaching 10 seconds or better for immediate pickup when possible.
No council action was required; Posey provided the update and staff said BOEC will continue recruitment and training efforts and report progress to partner jurisdictions.
