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Bay County 911 says it handled 174,237 calls in 2024; officials credit staffing and tech upgrades
Summary
Bay County 911 reported 174,237 calls in 2024, a marked reduction in overtime and near-full staffing after hiring two part‑time dispatchers; the office described recent technology upgrades and ongoing challenges including ambulance shortages and dependence on Coast Guard aviation for water rescues.
Bay County 911 handled 174,237 calls in 2024 and reduced overtime hours substantially as it approached full staffing, Director Ryan Gail said Tuesday during a Committee of the Whole meeting.
Gail, presenting the central dispatch annual update, said the center processed more than 66,000 emergency 911 calls last year and averaged about 477 calls per day. “Bottom line up front, in 2024, Bay County 911 handled 174,237 calls,” Gail said.
The update said overtime declined from roughly 744 hours on average in 2023 to about 353 hours in 2024 as hiring and scheduling improvements took effect, including the addition of two part‑time dispatchers. Gail said the office completed a computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) upgrade, added a natural gas generator to backup infrastructure and is pursuing further system modernizations.
Why it matters: the dispatch center is the county’s primary emergency communications hub; improvements in staffing and technology affect response times for fire, police and EMS across Bay County.
Gail and other staff described several operational challenges the center continues to manage. Ambulance shortages remain a constraint on resource availability and require coordination with EMS partners and the county’s medical control authority, Gail said. For water and ice rescues, Gail and county supervisors said they have asked the U.S. Coast Guard to deploy aviation assets more quickly after an incident where local boats could not reach a person on an ice flow.
The presentation identified recurring trends that shape staffing and deployment decisions: Friday and Saturday are the busiest days, with peak hours around 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Mental‑health crisis responses are an increasing share of calls and often require coordinated multi‑agency responses, the presentation said.
Commissioners and attendees offered praise and questions. A resident who said she recently called 911 for her husband commended dispatchers and volunteer firefighters for their professionalism. Jim Varshais, a meeting participant, thanked Gail for reducing mandatory overtime and said morale has improved as staffing stabilized. Gail and supervisors said they are working with regional partners to explore options for ambulance coverage and billing practices when transports cross jurisdictional boundaries.
The board voted to receive the presentation; the motion to receive was supported and carried by voice vote.
Ending note: Gail said the office will continue to focus on dispatcher certification, crisis‑intervention training and data analytics to optimize staffing and resource allocation in 2025.
