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Dispatch center adds Rice Steele support and ramps hiring as cyberattack reimbursement sought
Summary
County emergency manager Ben reported that Rice Steele dispatchers have been supporting Winona's dispatch center under an MOU since July 11, staff have conducted about 15 interviews and expect to reach eight dispatchers soon, and county staff will submit paperwork next week seeking cyberattack emergency reimbursement.
Ben, the county emergency manager, briefed commissioners on dispatch operations and staffing. He said Rice Steele County began providing dispatchers under an MOU on July 11 to provide overlap and training; their personnel are rotating through shifts this week to help test emergency plans and interoperability. "We've been testing stuff, training their dispatchers," Ben said.
Ben reported the county has conducted roughly 15 interviews, invited some candidates to sit-alongs in the dispatch center, and extended one offer. He said the county hopes to have about eight dispatchers within the next month but noted new hires will need a four- to six-month training cycle. Ben also said the county is revamping its emergency plan to account for dual-site operations and that staff will prepare documentation to submit for cyberattack reimbursement to the governor's office next week.
Commissioners thanked Rice Steele and county staff for their assistance during the transition and asked staff to send a formal thank-you card to partner agencies and to document lessons learned from the training period.
