Allegheny County (Penn.) Touts $109K Saved at 9-1-1 Center
Recent hires at Allegheny County’s 9-1-1 dispatch center appear to have reined in escalating overtime costs, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said Tuesday.
The county hired 12 full-time dispatchers in May and reduced average overtime cost from $21,000 to $13,000 per pay period, saving about $109,000 so far, Downs said.
Overtime costs at the 9-1-1 center in Point Breeze were on track to top $2 million for a second year. Downs expects the savings to grow.
The county spent $1.7 million on overtime for dispatch center employees through September this year, about $228,000 more than the same period last year, said Controller Chelsa Wagner, who released an audit Tuesday suggesting the county hire more dispatchers.
“This is a public safety issue in addition to a dollars-and-cents issue. By hiring additional staff, we will ensure that we provide public safety services in the most effective and efficient way,” Wagner said.
The 9-1-1 center handles about 1.25 million calls a year and employed 220 telecommunication officers in 2013, according to the audit. The audit studied overtime costs for 2012 and 2013. The center now has 216 full-time dispatchers and 16 working part time.
The county could hire 28 full-time employees, cut overtime and save about $50,000 to $65,000 per year, Wagner said. The center should address staffing shortages and employee turnover, and provide cross-training to further reduce overtime, she said.
In addition to the 12 full-time employees, the county in July hired eight part-time employees, in part to address overtime costs, county Emergency Services Chief Alvin Henderson wrote in his response to the audit.
Wagner said she could not verify the center had hired more employees.
“The center is still understaffed, which results in increased sick time and poor morale. We have personnel who are forced to work 16-hour shifts,” said Rick Grejda, a former dispatcher and a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union Local 668, which represents dispatchers. “The last thing we want is 9-1-1 personnel fatigued from working 16-hour days.”