Kootenai County 911 says hiring and training pipeline improving; AI tools and RapidSOS planned to reduce strain

Kootenai County 911 told the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday it expects incremental relief next year as several new trainees progress through classroom and on-the-job training and as the center implements new technology to automate parts of call-taking and quality assurance.

Lieutenant Jeff Howard, who gave the staffing update, said five trainees are in the system: one near completion of fire-med dispatch training (expected in October) and several others in early stages of call-taking and radio training. Howard said the center hopes to have the new trainees fully operational by mid-2026 if training hours and trainer availability can be sustained.

Howard said the county approved a contract with RapidSOS for automated call taking and that he is evaluating an AI-driven vendor that can support hiring, simulated stress-testing, training and quality assurance. He told commissioners the vendor’s quote was substantially reduced from publicized prices — “about 40% of what they advertise” — and that the system would help free staff time by producing detailed quality-assurance reports and training modules.

“We are looking because I've limited the amount of vacation that they're allowed to burn,” Howard said, describing steps to preserve minimum staffing while trainees are in the pipeline. He said he will ask the board to consider a potential buyout of unused vacation hours for staffing flexibility. Howard also said the center is eliminating an on-call pool to concentrate training and maintain minimum shift coverage.

Howard gave a realistic assessment of recruitment: “For us? Yes. It's probably 40 percent” dropout among 911 trainees, he said — a figure he said aligns with national centers — and explained that simulated high-stress scenarios help identify applicants who cannot handle real-life emergency calls.

Commissioners asked for timeline detail and cost information for the proposed AI training and quality-assurance product; Howard said he will return with pricing and implementation dates. Howard suggested limited channel-dispatch training for vetted deputies as a stopgap to give dispatchers short relief shifts; he said the plan should be roughly budget-neutral through January.

Public comment after the update underscored the community stakes. Ron Hartman, a resident who said he lives in Zone 4 near Harrison, told commissioners he waited 45 minutes for a sheriff response on a prior holiday weekend and questioned whether current patrol and contract allocations meet rural needs. “I saw plenty of people in there that had no business driving, and yet I saw no sheriff's car at all,” Hartman said of a holiday weekend in Harrison. Hartman also questioned SRO staffing in schools: “There's no school over the weekend or over the holiday. There's no school during the summer. What do these school resource officers do then?”

Ending: Lieutenant Howard said he will return with more precise cost estimates for the RapidSOS implementation and for the AI vendor proposal, and with updated training timelines once additional candidates clear backgrounds and polygraphs. The board acknowledged receipt of the update and asked staff to provide detailed budget implications of the proposed technology tools and any requested vacation buyout.