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ES&T reports staffing gains, P25 radio cutover planned for May–June
Summary
ES&T said dispatch staffing improved with 20 fully trained dispatchers and a class of trainees on the floor; the city is migrating to a P25 radio system with fire scheduled to cut over in May and a full June conversion targeted.
Shante Washington, presenting for ES&T, told the committee that dispatch staffing and training are ongoing priorities: the communications center is authorized for 45 supervisors/dispatchers, currently has 20 fully trained dispatchers and a class of 10 trainees on the floor, and faces 13 vacancies the department is actively recruiting to fill. "The probationary time for our trainees initially is nine months... we use usually all of that time for training," she said.
Washington described required certifications, including the state telecommunicator license and EMD (emergency medical dispatch) certification for medical instruction over the phone. She said ES&T is trying to reduce outside vendor costs by training staff to repair and maintain radio infrastructure in‑house.
On technology, Washington explained the city’s radio migration to the P25 system. DPW and the Board of Education have already switched; the fire department’s cutover is expected to begin in May with a hoped‑for full conversion by June.
Washington also reviewed CAD (computer‑aided dispatch) incident totals for January and February and described how the city’s Heart/CRT team is dispatched: dispatchers determine suitability and either contact the team by phone or enter the request into CAD so the team is assigned. She said ES&T and partner agencies exchange referrals with 211 when appropriate, but did not provide a numeric count of those referrals during the meeting.
