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 Newly hired telecommunication specialists and other staff for the Saline County E911 Dispatch Center stand with 911 commission directors outside the dispatch center Thursday, Sept. 15. Back row: From left, Luke Vance, Kim Welborn, Tracy Bommer, Candace Phegley, Becky Duncan Receptionist, Melissa Hink, Jodi Regnery Second row: From left, Cherrie Davis, Bobbie Jo Beeler, Brandon Wolfe GIS Technician, Sydne Sheffer, Stephanie Lobaugh, Lisa Stone, Director Pam Teague Front row: From left, Assistant Director Stacie Smith , Erica Hollman, Kelsey Morton, Angela Gartner, Sonya Pitts (Geoff Rands/Democrat-News) [Order this photo] |
The 13-member board will be comprised of one representative apiece from the cities of Marshall, Slater and Sweet Springs, one from the Saline County Sheriff's Department and one from each of the three ambulance districts and the six fire departments in Saline County. Members of each of these groups will appoint that organization's representative.
The board's function, reads the ordinance, is to "provide management advice and recommendations to the (commission) for implementation concerning the overall operations of the (dispatch center)," including, in part, finances, technical equipment and general administration.
Implementation of this ordinance is required for the center to have access to Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System, said Director Pam Teague.
The formation of the Saline County E911 MULES Committee for the purpose of creating policies regarding MULES was another effect of the ordinance. The members of this committee will be the Saline County Sheriff and the chiefs of the Marshall, Slater and Sweet Springs police departments.
The ordinance also states that dispatch center workers will perform all dispatching for emergency responders.
Teague gave the board a report on her training of dispatchers for the dispatch center. She spoke about teambuilding exercises and efforts to help the group bond.
She also said that she would take dispatchers to tour the center later that day.
The employment of 16 dispatchers was approved in an executive session held Thursday, Sept. 10.
Those dispatchers are Melissa Hinck of Sweet Springs, Tracy Bommer of Marshall, Sydne Sheffer of Marshall, Sonya Pitts of Cole Camp, Stephanie Lobaugh of Marshall, Candy Phegley of rural Saline County, Kim Welborn of Marshall, Bobbie Jo Beeler of Slater, Kelsey Morton of Slater, Cherrie Davis of Marshall, Luke Vance of Marshall, Angela Gartner of Sedalia, Lisa Stone of Warsaw, Jodi Regnery of Marshall and Erica Hollmann of Marshall. Becky Duncan will serve as receptionist. Brandon Wolfe will serve as GIS technician.
Eleven of the dispatchers have previously worked in similar positions in the area.
Dispatchers will receive hourly wages of $12.75. The supervisor for dispatchers will receive $13.75 hourly. The salary for GIS technician/mapping personnel is set at $27,000. The receptionist's wages are $10.25 per hour.
Tentative dates for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for and tours of the center were set. Emergency responders can tour on Tuesday, Dec. 15, the public on Wednesday, Dec. 16, and employees and their family members on Thursday, Dec. 17. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for Dec. 15.
Commission members spoke about purchase of two twin beds for the dispatch center. A set has been located with a price tag of $1,090, including reinforced frames, but members voted to table the issue and continue the search for less-expensive items.
Larry Haren of Sign-Up Ltd. has been making corrections of incorrectly placed road signs, said Teague.
Long-distance service for the center has been secured through AT&T for $248 per month, said Teague.
Commission members approved payment of accounts totaling $22,511.73, including $848.48 to the city of Marshall; $528 to Wilson, Toellner and Associates; $12,648.89 to DataComm; $9.50 to United Health Care; $321.89 to Quill; $277.96 to AT&T, $30 to Marshall Municipal Utilities; $1,399.78 to Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan; $766.82 To CenturyTel; $575.02 to Visa; $2,287.39 to Tippmann Industrial Products; $69 to APCO International; and $2,614 for payroll.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, at 9:30 a.m. in the boardroom at the dispatch center.
Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket.net
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ieatsuperglue,
Trying saying that again in English! They do more than any cop..Get Real! Why don't you ask to ride along on a busy night and see the real world??
Your rock quary buddies need to work harder. Know people that used to pull in $1000.00 a day.
Who cares how much they get paid? Not I. They do far more work than any cop.
BTW: Hate their new sign, pain in the ....
To everyone who keeps saying "did you apply for the job. If not stop complaining". I dont recall ever seeing that they were hiring people to start at $12.75 an hour. I guess we all assumed they would be making a little more than minimum wage. I know guys who haul rock at the quarry for less than these people will make sitting in $1,000 chairs. Im sure a lot more people would have applied if they knew it was going to pay so well.
Lets see, two to three dispatchers and a supervisor on each shift, More on the weekends. I will look forward to the call ratio per dispatcher report after 6 months. This is becoming a bigger joke every month!
People can make all of the excuses they want to about all of the wasted money this board is spending. If this kind of money can be wasted, then the tax rate needs to be lowered and 911 should have to be accountable to the taxpayers.
I firmly believe this is one of the biggest cons on the county taxpayers! Go from zero to 100 with no stops inbetween. Maybe a recall election is in order? Something needs to slow the wasteful spending down. Remember there are alot of unemployed and ederly people in the county that are hurting when you continue to waste their money!
For those who complain:
Did you bother to apply for the job?
Would you tell them the pay is too high, if they hired you?
If you answered no, you have no reason to complain. If you feel the need to complain, please contact your local elected officals, and express your feelings.
and highly qualified in what? have they ever dispatched? have they any idea of terms used for crimes and situations, because the ones they hired do and marrying a minority doesnt make you exempt, there are racist minorities as well, the term racist can't be directed towards one group of people and those who do that are....thats right kids, racists, so tyota you rreally not proving any points...at all
Well tyota those are racial comments, stop whining about why your friends weren't hired. Maybe they are not as qualified as you think. Just because you married someone that is a minority doesn't mean your not a racist.
I'm not racist at all. I'm married to a minority. And yes, I do know 8 highly qualified minorities that applied but I guess Saline County rather hire all whites no matter what their education background.
hey tyota, whether you consider women a minority or not is really irrelevant, unless you write the federal guidelines in your spare time after labeling people racist.
you know of minorities that are jobless and over qualified for this position? well take a bite on this....i know of some minorities that have jobs and are underqualified, does that cancel out? and do you know how many minority applications they recieved? maybe they didnt hire any because none applied. but in your quest to aclu up saline county you might not have looked that far, and you know what they call people that do that? racist!
Geoff Rands,
You say 40 road officers like thay are all on at the same time. My guess is per 8 hour shift there are only about 8 officers on in the entire county. Thats 8 officers to handle how many thousands of people in Saline County. Probobly 3 or 4 on in marshall. 1 or 2 on in county. And 1 on in each of the smaller communities. and thats on a Saturday night. Im sure the number is lower on like a Tuesday morning or afternoon.
tyota,
Do you know if any minorities applied to the 911 for a position?
Geoff Rands,
Hogwash!! Beds that will hold a 500 pound dispatcher??..WoW At the cost of those high priced chairs, they should do everything but drive you home, in that ice storm I mean. I wonder how all of the law enforcement officers in the county get home in an ice storm?...hummm I would have thought in all of that high tech training that no one else can touch, they would go to the highway patrol track and take a driving course?? Just checking... Wait a minute, didn't 911 buy that old over price four wheel drive vehicle for use by 911? That should get them home?
18 fulltime dispatchers seem to be a little over the top. How many will be on duty at one time?? Isn't two dispatchers per shift enough??
I hope the tax money stays up to support this Hilton??
A quick Google search shows that intensive-use chairs are available from such vendors as Amazon.com for as little as $484 or at Walmart for $720, but, as with everything else, I imagine the cheapest model available will have a shorter lifespan than more expensive models. How much longer, I do not know.
Assistant Director Stacey Smith said that, initially, each shifts will have two to three dispatchers plus a supervisor, though there may be more on the weekend. She added that there is no way to know what kind of call volume they will experience. All dispatchers will work 40-hour weeks, she said.
Actually, LAMR, I am just trying to point out they are not meeting federal guidelines by hiring a minority. When I know several who are jobless and are highly qualified for that position. Can they say RACIST?!
Wow tyota........! So that's what is most important? If you ever need to call the E-911 center I hope you get the minority you want instead of the most most qualified applicant.
Oh I forgot to ask, it looks like they have hired enough dispatchers. Are we going to have 4 or 5 dispatchers on at a time? My count is 18 not counting the fulltime computer tech. That is more than we have in law enforcement on the streets. What are all of them going to be doing while one person takes the calls?
mhsgrad,
I disagree, most of these dispatchers hired are from small rural communities in the area, they are not looking to drive to columbia. Second Columbia has more calls in one hour than this dispatch center will get in an entire week.
Every Police Officer and most Emt's I know have to pay for their own training. Have you looked lately at how many hours they have to go through while paying their own way for everything?
Now for all of the dirty work. How many times have you ever had to cover a dead body on the highway? How many times have you ever had to clean glass out of a baby's eyes because the drunk mother put them in a crash? Then have to haul off his mother to jail while you have the emt's take the baby to the hospital without her drunk butt? How many times have you had to bend over an 8 year old boy while he took his last breath in a roadside ditch while you attempted to clean grass and dirt out of his mouth and try to breath for him? How many times have you been in the middle of a fight where everyone wants a piece of you? How many times have you ever had to wrestle a father to the floor and cuff him in front of his children because he had beat up their mother? How many times have you ever had to search inside of a burning home and clear it? How many times have you had to stand among dead bodies at a murder scene? How many times have you had to jump over your vehicle because people are to dumb to slow down when they see emergency lights ahead of them in the road?
The list goes on and on, I think my point is made. I could always run a mules computer and answer a phone and even tone out ems, most of it is common sense duties. Did you ever do my job? I think Not!!
Most of the emergency personel in our area do it because they want to make a difference in the county and their community. Most of them make at or below poverty level because that seems to be the excepted standard among our county and community leaders! It's not as easy as going in to the county commission and city councils and demand more pay, they don't care. They will inform you if you don't like it go on down the road, period! They do this because the people in the county and communities accept their behavior and believe anything they are told. People don't want to pay for law enforcement. No one wants a cop around until you need one.
I've walked in your shoes, can you walk in mine? I doubt it...
If you told the tax paying citizens of our county that we were going to have a 911 with $5,000 chairs, $1,000 beds (Who knows WHY?) for people to sleep in, pay $18,000 a year to mount antennas on others towers and not invest in free standing paid for towers of our own, buy wore out vehicles above book price for administrators and board members to ride around in and feel important, and waste money like it grows on trees and there is no tommorrow, I highly doubt this same outcome if a vote was retaken tommorrow???
And, just to clarify, the price found for the beds, which have not been purchased, was $1,090 for a set of two beds and reinforced frames capable of holding weights up to 500 pounds, said Teague.
As for the chairs, again, just to clarify, the cost was just under $6,000 for five intensive-use chairs.
Well, considering $13 an hour is considered to be barely above the poverty line...no, I don't think that it's all that much to ask for. If you don't pay there are plenty of departments that will. It's not uncommon for dispatchers to drive an hour or more for decent pay.
As to fire, EMS, etc-that's usually another department entirely. If their pay is your top concern maybe you should begin showing up at meetings and voicing your concern. Let the city council, the county commissioners, board members, etc know how you feel. The funding for E911 and other emergency departments come from different areas. And truth be told, small towns like Marshall have always been considered "training grounds" for those positions. They know that most will move on to bigger cities and many departments take advantage of that mentality by offering low pay, rotten hours and bad benefits. They know that many use small towns to get their feet wet, get a bit of experience behind them and then leave. OTOH, dispatchers will often stick with the same department for years on end. I've worked with dispatchers working for the same department for ten plus years but can say that few of the officers had been there for that same amount of time.
mhsgrad,
Throughout your entire rant you first stated you worked for a big city with all those stresses, big difference here. Also you repeatedly kept saying "good Dispatcher" shouldn't we wait to see what kind of employee they are going to be before we offer to buy them houses, cars , dogs, take care of their kids....before you say anything I know we are not offering those things. Im just saying lets see what good they are before we offer them the world. Make them put the time in, see if they can handle the stress before we start paying them like seasoned vets at this. Start at the bottom and earn your way up like everyone else. Like you said if you want good dispatchers you'll pay them. I agree. But same goes for EMS, FIRE and POLICE if you want good ones pay them. Fine pay the dispachers $13.00 an hour but then at least petition to have law enforcementn fire and ems paid at least $15.00 an hour or more. My main argument is that the dispatchers should not be paid more than these people.
I agree that the pay rate should be less than that of those who are in the direct line of fire. This is simply way out of line to pay someone that amount of money and they are safe and secure when they are dispatching. As far as the amount of training . . . hog wash! Don't tell me they are hiring deputy sheriffs, police officers, EMTs, that have not been trained. They too have to have as many hours of training. These dispatchers are setting in a climate controlled environment, while firefighters are going up agaist the heat of a fire, and all of them work in the rain, heat and snow. I do not see the justification.
Wow, not a single minority?! I don't count women as a minority because they are not. I am a woman myself so I'm not being biased either. But where are the minorities?
I was a dispatcher for a few years in a larger department. I can't verify what happened during the interviews here but I can tell you that at most departments there are tests for typing skills, hearing, general response to stress situations,etc. It's not the type of job you just walk in from the street and perform, contrary to what the public may want to believe.
There is training and, depending on what your department offers, there can be quite a bit of it. I took courses in dispatch, in MULES and ALERT systems, in EMD, in fire, in police, in haz mat-and the list goes on. Why would your department start their employees at around $13 an hour? Because once they receive their training they will have the same amount of hours as someone who has recently received an associate's degree. (And if the staff looks around they can find the programs that will allow them to do just that.)
Why stay at a department earning $9-$10 an hour when one could drive an hour and work for Columbia PD or Boone County, which I'd bet would pay much more. Or some of the younger ones would even consider moving to the KC or St Louis area for jobs. Their training is paid so they'll be qualified for the positions in the larger towns. I know of someone dispatching for Independence PD. She's worked for them for 2 1/2 years and makes nearly $23 an hour.
As to "reading from a book"-yes, there is a book for emergency medical dispatch in most departments and you are taught to follow the available procedures. The reason is quite simple: if you follow the procedures given in the book and something happens the department is protected. The developers of the course (which is where the book comes from-a book you cannot purchase without taking the course nor can you use the book until you've taken the course) will back any department if their book is used and something goes wrong. The difference between using "the book" and not using it could save a department millions from lawsuits.
A good dispatcher is great at taking calls and gaining all pertinent information. They are taught how to pick up on various cues during a conversation and how to lead the conversation to a place where the dispatcher can receive necessary information that is then passed on to the officer-all with a minimum of time spent on the radio. A good dispatcher can listen to multiple frequencies at the same time and log traffic from multiple frequencies all at once. A good dispatcher can work a fire call, an EMS call, a domestic in progress (police call) and still take other 9-1-1 calls all at the same time.
Oh, and did I mention that many departments demand that a dispatcher spends so many hours a year on ride alongs for whatever agency they dispatch? In a county dispatch that could easily include all major fire departments, all EMS departments, all police departments and the sheriff's department. Oftentimes this will be scheduled during your normal "off" time, messing with your sleep schedule or your childcare or whatever else. And most training is not in your town. Dispatch training usually involves travel and depending on the length of the class could mean you are away from home for a few weeks at a time. Would you or anyone you know choose to travel for training for a job paying lower wages?
The burn-out rate is high. You take calls all night long. Some calls, such as children in distress, make you cringe in your seat. You wish you could do something but you know you're stuck. Or anytime your officers are injured, anytime your fire personnel goes into a nasty blaze, etc. The stress eats at you and it doesn't stay at work. Everything that happens follows you home. And in some cases you can still get hurt. I once took a domestic in progress call. The male involved ran from the scene before officers arrived but not before grabbing the phone and informing me that he'd find me. When I finished my shift that morning there was a man hiding behind a car, trying to figure out which dispatcher had sent officers to his house. He had a hunting knife with him.
Dispatching can and should be treated like a career. If you want to keep good dispatchers you'll pay them, same as any other job. Otherwise they'll find greener pastures.
When the crap is hitting the fan and there is not enough emt's or police officers to go around, we can just send one of those highly trained dispatchers out to clean it all up!
When the dispatchers do stay on the line to give help, are you aware that 99% of the time the help instruction is coming out of a book that they have right in front of them. You start to forget the training if it is not used EVERYDAY. So they have a helpfull guide. When was the last time you saw a police officer or other EMS individual pull out a book and get the answers on what to do for the situation when the stuff is going down. And most of them had to pay for the school or academy they went to to get trained. These people are getting paid to get trained. Also I don't know how Crazy and busy it will be in that dispatch office when Saline County and Marshall P.D. aren't going to be using it. Looks like the tax payers will get the most out of those beds.
I see many complaints about the wages the dispatchers will make compared to the Fire, Law Enforcement, and EMS workers in Saline County. E911 is a stand alone organization that will serve the entire county. It will also house the EOC (emergency operations center) for Saline County. The beds and the temporary living facilities are not for the dispatchers on duty they are for people who must stay at the facility in case of major events or severe weather. As for the wages of your respective responders, those are set by the county commission, local town governments, and the respective Districts. If you think the people who are looking out for you deserve better pay then take it up with your representatives. The new dispatchers are in training now and will be for the next few months. They are not just call takers. They are more like technicians. They will have several systems to learn and take care of. The system for EMS alone will take several weeks to months to learn. Saline County residents will now have access to dispatchers who are EMD (emergency medical dispatch) qualified. This means that when you call for a person who needs help they will not only stay on the line with you until EMS arrives they will be trained to give pre-arrival instructions on what to do to help them. They will also learn a system called priority call dispatching. This is a system used throughout most of the United States to determine the severity of the illness or injury so that the right assets are used in the right way. If you look you will find that Missouri as a state is last in the nation for providing enhanced 911. Thank God the people of Saline County will now have what the majority of this country has. Look on the net to find information on accredited dispatch centers capabilities Dispatching is extremely important to all the response agencies they will support. Saline County will have a state of the art 911 system that will rival the best in the nation. You should be proud of what has been accomplished here and what your tax money is going for. Do you want a system that barely gets by or one that is done right? Check out the facts. Ask the people who know what is really going on. Not the ax grinders in the blogs. I asked and found out many things I never knew.
Maybe the officers didn't apply for the job because, even though they make crappy pay it is serve and protect that they strive to do! Along with the EMT's who are into saving lives on a daily basis not answering phones! I can't believe someone would even have the nerve to go there and make excuses for why someone sitting in a chair answering phones with absolutely zip for training should be paid better wages.
Think the key words there are Northern California
Guess what Bigoppi? these HIGH PAYING jobs were
open for bid and interviews. Did the officers apply ? My brother was 911 Sgt in Northern calif
and he tells me these dispatchers earn every
penny they get and 90% of time are under more
stress than the police officers. If they wanted
the job they should have applied for it?As for the beds, I remember nurses at hospital staying
over when ice storms hit.
Considering that a Saline County Road Deputy starts at only $21,000 a year ($10.10hr) and then eventually goes up to $24,000 a year ($11.54 hr) and Commissioned Jail Deputies start at even less. These Deputies put their life on the line every day and are paid very little for it.
It should be a crime for what little pay these deputies get!
I know that the Slater and the Sweetsprings Officers are in the same boat as the Deputies. I've commented several times that our law enforcement are paid at 1980 wages. It's time for someone to pull their head out of the sand and improve the salaries of these officers.
Then you have the emt's that make way less than they should in all three districts. I agree, Priorities are way out of line!
I am happy to see that a few people from the county got hired and it wasn't all out of the area hire, like the highly paid Administrator and her Assistant. What were their salaries again?? Talk about an elected board that is taking advantage of every tax payer in the county!
Tax and Spend Tax and Spend, when they are broke, they will put it on the ballot again!!!
What kind of board would even look at twin beds that cost $1,000 bucks, oh wait a minute the same people that paid $5,000 for desk chairs and over book value for an old vehicle to ride around in.
Why do we need beds in the dispatch center? I thought the dispatchers were supposed to stay awake and sit in those fancy $5,000 chairs during their shift??? There were never any beds for the workers at any Police Dept. in the county or the Sheriff's dept. So why are they needed at the dispatch center? If the dispatchers are that tired, they should probably stay at home for the safety of the low paid officers out doing the dirty work. I didn't know we voted to build a hotel or is it a bomb shelter?
I have to say I agree with bigpoppi. That is ridiculus to pay the dispatchers more than the officers and EMS. Kinda like a slap in the face really. Wow
After reading all the other articles regarding the wages and Salary of the police officers and Deputies in this county, Does ANYONE find it rediculous that the people who answer the phones and send others into danger are getting paid quite a bit more than the officers who are putting thier lives on the line? That is a rediculous amount of money for people who get the privlage of KNOWING they will be going home at the end of their shift. And after eight hours they dont have the burden of taking the job home with them. I think that the pecking order and priorities in this county are something that needs some serious looking into and change. Maybe all the police and deputies in this county should leave their post and go work as dispatchers at least they'll be getting paid what they are worth then. How would the people of Saline County like to see that....No Police, just dispatchers.
I am thinking they should hire an HR person. My understanding is that the people interviewed for positions are learning from this article that they didn't a job.