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County weighs hiring full‑time fire dispatchers as cities expand fire response to medical calls
Summary
Scott County staff told commissioners growing requests from several cities to dispatch fire units to more medical calls have increased call volume; county staff estimated hiring three full‑time fire dispatchers would cost roughly $461,000 in 2026 and recommended talks with cities on protocol or cost sharing.
Scott County public‑safety staff briefed the board on sustained pressure in the county dispatch center driven by several cities' decisions to send fire units to a larger set of medical calls.
Staff said dispatchers who previously handled both 911 intake and periodic fire notifications are experiencing higher sustained workloads as cities change call criteria. Luke and Danny summarized a recent Prior Lake meeting where city officials argued fire dispatch should be a city expense; county staff said county provision of the service shares impacts across townships and cities and that some of those municipal decisions have materially increased the county's dispatcher workload.
County staff estimated the full cost per additional fire‑dispatcher FTE at about $153,884 (salary, benefits and overhead) and said adding three FTEs would total roughly $461,000 for 2026. Staff recommended meeting with the affected cities to decide whether to change dispatch criteria, create a city cost‑share, or move toward a county‑funded full‑time fire‑dispatch model. Commissioners emphasized the need to be transparent about options and impacts to townships and to give municipalities clear choices.
Next steps: staff will convene meetings with city partners, refine costing and allocation options, and return to the board with recommendations on protocol changes or cost‑sharing models and a proposed staffing timeline.
