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Washington County 9-1-1 reports faster answer times, approves hiring software purchase
Summary
The county's communications director reported a surge in call volume and said staff answered 99% of 9-1-1 calls in under 10 seconds in 2025; commissioners approved purchase of Comms Coach pre-hire software at a discounted cost of $3,500.
Miss Wellman, the communications director, told the Washington County Commissioners Court on Feb. 17 that the county's 9-1-1 center handled 115,767 calls for service in 2025 and is meeting national answer-time standards.
"We are answering 99% in less than 10 seconds," Miss Wellman said, adding that the center answered roughly 25,243 9-1-1 calls in 2025. She said law enforcement accounted for about 88% of calls, EMS about 9% and fire departments and others the remainder, and that call volume has risen substantially since 2020.
The presentation outlined technology and quality-improvement work: implementation of Comms Coach simulations for pre-hire training, an upgraded 9-1-1 mapping system funded by BBCOG, and RapidSOS integration that supplies detailed building and room data for panic-button alerts at Bridal ISD. Miss Wellman said staff are working with IT and the vendor to fix an issue in which 9-1-1 recordings split into segments and to develop quality-assurance procedures for radio traffic and recording evaluations.
She also reviewed staffing and training metrics: the communications center has 23 authorized positions, 19 filled, and reported a 57% reduction in departures from 2024 to 2025. Training hours for 2025 totaled 2,019, and the department is encouraging staff to obtain Certified Training Officer credentials to build redundancy.
Commissioners asked about public-records requests and nonemergency call tracking; Miss Wellman said requests are logged in an Excel sheet but the department does not track hours spent responding and is working with IT to produce more accurate nonemergency call reports.
Separately, the court approved the purchase of Comms Coach hire/testing software to replace a vendor called Critical. The software purchase was presented as cost-saving and compatible with existing Comms Coach QA tools; a participant noted a $1,500 discount that reduced the county's cost to about $3,500 from $5,000. The motion to purchase passed by voice vote.
The communications director said the department also completed three audits in 2025 (DPS secure-site, Metro Aviation and BBCOG CSEC) and is conducting a warrant-audit project to verify Class C warrants across municipal courts and justice of the peace lists. She highlighted several staff commendations for handling high-volume, high-intensity shifts and a pediatric 9-1-1 call that required CPR instructions before responders arrived.
The department said it plans continued outreach, school visits to educate children about 9-1-1 use, and an online livestock-owner registration form to help locate owners when animals escape. The commissioners did not take additional action beyond approving the software purchase at the Feb. 17 meeting.
