Berrien County 9-1-1 describes operations, seeks dispatchers

Berrien County 9-1-1 Director Caitlin Samsel gave a brief tour of the county's dispatch center and urged people to apply for open dispatcher and call-taker positions.

Samsel said the center employs 34 telecommunicators who both answer emergency phones and dispatch police, fire and EMS across roughly 50 agencies in Berrien County. She described the center's console setup, four CAD (computer-aided dispatch) screens, radio consoles and the use of text-to-9-1-1 and medical-dispatch protocols to get aid to callers before responders arrive.

The staffing and technology details matter because telecommunicators are the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers and coordinate countywide emergency responses. Samsel emphasized training, shift coverage and the career pathway at the center.

Samsel said the center typically has five to 10 people on duty at a time and said the physical dispatch room can accommodate 10 staff. Work is organized in 12-hour shifts, generally 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., with split shifts used as needed. New hires are trained to work all shifts as part of the center's training program, Samsel said.

Minimum hiring requirements she stated are being at least 18 years old and possessing a high school diploma or GED. Samsel described helpful skills for applicants as multitasking, quick task-switching, customer service and the ability to think quickly under pressure.

Samsel also described employee benefits and career progression at the center: medical benefits for employees and families, and a pension eligible after "25 years and out," she said. She described internal advancement opportunities from call taker to lead dispatcher, supervisor, technical roles and management on the operations-support side.

Samsel invited interested people to consider the positions but did not specify application deadlines or an online application link during the presentation.