Jerry Wofford, Tulsa World (Oklahoma)

Eight new 911 Center employees began training Monday, another step toward easing the pressure that has beleaguered the center for months. The new employees will complete five weeks of training followed by several weeks of shadowing experienced dispatchers and call-takers, said Terry Baxter, interim director of the newly created 911 Public Safety Communication Department.

The 911 call center was under the direction of the Information Technology Department, but Mayor Dewey Bartlett signed an executive order in December that created the new department, effective Jan. 3.

Also last month, the city reached an agreement with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1180, the union for 911 center employees, that will increase entry-level pay by 17 percent. Hourly pay in 2011 was $11.98. In 2012 it increased to $13.48 and it is set to increase in 2013 to $14.01.

Baxter said he thinks the changes will help to increase morale and stabilize staffing at the center. But, he said, it will take more trained staff to see a marked improvement.

“The first thing we need to do is get bodies trained so there are people here to answer phones,” Baxter said.

The first bit of training will focus on learning the geography of the city of Tulsa – how the street naming system works, what police and fire divisions are where. Then the trainees will learn how the phone equipment works and call control. “How to – in essence – get the answers you need for the response that happens,” Baxter said. “There is different information we like to collect in a sequence.” Getting that sequence right is like learning a script so that police and fire personnel have some continuity, he said.

The new dispatchers will also ride along with emergency personnel to get an idea of the relationship between the dispatcher and a person on the street, Baxter said. The trainee will then sit and take calls with an experienced dispatcher who will listen in and who can take over if the situation calls for it.

The current eight-person class is larger than a typical class, which usually has about five new employees, Baxter said. This class took longer to form because the contract negotiations were ongoing in the fall, he said.

When union and city officials announced the new contract Dec. 29, there were 64 operational employees, City Manager Jim Twombly said last month. The department is authorized for 85 positions, excluding supervisors, he said. Baxter said staff shortages could be a problem until more employees are hired and even during training.

Supervisors are coordinating the training classes for the employees. Baxter said he wants to hire a training coordinator, but if that person doesn’t have emergency certification, that person will also need training.

Although the center has been its own department for only a week, Baxter said he thinks the new contract and new employees on the way will improve morale, which will help the department keep employees at the center. “We want to make this a career more than a job,” he said.

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