Is Washington DC’s Dependence on Overtime for 911 Operators and Dispatchers Impacting Public Safety?

Is there such a thing as too much overtime? That is a question being asked of Washington DC officials after a series of local news reports that continue to highlight systemic operational failures in the Office of Unified Communications,  the department tasked with handlining 1.8 million 911 calls per year in our nation’s capitol. According to NBC 4, close to 40 percent of all hours worked by DC dispatch center employees are overtime hours. As a result of chronic understaffing the agency has begun offering monthly bonuses in the amount of $800 to employees that show up for their regularly assigned shifts.

Experts theorize that overworked and under-rested dispatchers and 911 call-takers are more prone to errors. Also according to NBC4, DC dispatchers sent emergency apparatus to the wrong address on at least two different building fires this past spring. Long wait times, busy signals, and even unanswered 911 calls are also not uncommon. This is likely a result of many shifts operating below the agency’s minimum staffing requirements. Here is more on the story from NBC4.