BAKERSFIELD, CA -- Officials at the Emergency Communications Center say it's hard to put a finger on the staff shortage problem---perhaps it's a confluence of factors.
"This is a job you can only do for so long," explained ECC manager Melinda Hunley. "It is difficult, it's difficult on your body, it's a stressful job."
But the ECC is having a hard time keeping the phone lines manned.
"Some people when they get into it find it's just not what they thought it would be and they just don't like it," Hunley said.
Authorities say there are staff shortages at dispatch centers nationwide. The ECC has two vacant positions that dispatch supervisors have struggled to fill, despite a starting salary between $40,000 and $50,000.
And four dispatchers are out on medical leave.
"Some of it is stress, some of it is medical problems," Hunley said. "Some of it is babies, we can't stop them from doing that when they come here, amazingly enough."
Managers concede the current staff has been pushed to the brink, with dispatchers averaging 30.25 hours of overtime each month. "It may not sound like much, but this is a high-stress, high-stakes job," said Deputy County Fire Chief Mike Miller.
And overtime hours peak during wildfire season.
"All the people that I have, they are tapped. So if I have another fire season like I had, I have no one to call," Miller said.
There is no state-mandated staffing level for dispatch centers like the ECC. But the emergency communications center is accredited through the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch, an organization that requires centers to maintain certain standards.
The county provided us with data from last year. It's one sign, they say, that quality at ECC hasn't slipped due to the staff shortage. The data shows dispatchers were asking key questions and getting caller's chief complaint for the vast majority of 9-1-1 fire calls.
"We're getting our calls, every one is getting answered," Hunley explained. "And we are well within our Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols where we are required to maintain 95 percent compliance."
"We are on top of it, we can show we're on top of it," Deputy Chief Miller said. "But we're certainly concerned, and that's why we're trying to hire more people as we speak."
So the facility is actively recruiting. And Kern County poured more than $680,000 into a new dispatch center, just steps away from the current facility on Panorama Drive.
The current facility is much smaller. And the break room and kitchen where employees prepare their food leads right into the bathroom.
"The new facility will give dispatchers a lot more room, for one thing," Miller said. "The technology will be much improved over what they have. And this (dispatcher) job relies on technology."
The program dispatchers use now relies on a mapping system from 2009.
The new center is triple the space. It has proper break areas and bathrooms, and training rooms. Officials are hoping to move into the new building in a couple of months.
Still, it won't immediately turn the tide of staffing problems at ECC. It takes months to train a dispatcher, before they're allowed to handle emergency calls on their own.
"And I think there's that lag time between when you say we need to hire more people and the time when you can't actually do that," Miller said. "We are a year and a half behind from when we actually got the positions approved and started the process."
"The position still haven't been filled," he added.
"This is a job you can only do for so long," explained ECC manager Melinda Hunley. "It is difficult, it's difficult on your body, it's a stressful job."
But the ECC is having a hard time keeping the phone lines manned.
"Some people when they get into it find it's just not what they thought it would be and they just don't like it," Hunley said.
Authorities say there are staff shortages at dispatch centers nationwide. The ECC has two vacant positions that dispatch supervisors have struggled to fill, despite a starting salary between $40,000 and $50,000.
And four dispatchers are out on medical leave.
"Some of it is stress, some of it is medical problems," Hunley said. "Some of it is babies, we can't stop them from doing that when they come here, amazingly enough."
Managers concede the current staff has been pushed to the brink, with dispatchers averaging 30.25 hours of overtime each month. "It may not sound like much, but this is a high-stress, high-stakes job," said Deputy County Fire Chief Mike Miller.
And overtime hours peak during wildfire season.
"All the people that I have, they are tapped. So if I have another fire season like I had, I have no one to call," Miller said.
There is no state-mandated staffing level for dispatch centers like the ECC. But the emergency communications center is accredited through the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch, an organization that requires centers to maintain certain standards.
The county provided us with data from last year. It's one sign, they say, that quality at ECC hasn't slipped due to the staff shortage. The data shows dispatchers were asking key questions and getting caller's chief complaint for the vast majority of 9-1-1 fire calls.
"We're getting our calls, every one is getting answered," Hunley explained. "And we are well within our Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols where we are required to maintain 95 percent compliance."
"We are on top of it, we can show we're on top of it," Deputy Chief Miller said. "But we're certainly concerned, and that's why we're trying to hire more people as we speak."
So the facility is actively recruiting. And Kern County poured more than $680,000 into a new dispatch center, just steps away from the current facility on Panorama Drive.
The current facility is much smaller. And the break room and kitchen where employees prepare their food leads right into the bathroom.
"The new facility will give dispatchers a lot more room, for one thing," Miller said. "The technology will be much improved over what they have. And this (dispatcher) job relies on technology."
The program dispatchers use now relies on a mapping system from 2009.
The new center is triple the space. It has proper break areas and bathrooms, and training rooms. Officials are hoping to move into the new building in a couple of months.
Still, it won't immediately turn the tide of staffing problems at ECC. It takes months to train a dispatcher, before they're allowed to handle emergency calls on their own.
"And I think there's that lag time between when you say we need to hire more people and the time when you can't actually do that," Miller said. "We are a year and a half behind from when we actually got the positions approved and started the process."
"The position still haven't been filled," he added.