Staffing Shortages & Retention in ECCs
We see it in the news, in discussions on PSConnect and in talking with members — emergency communications centers (ECCs) being short staffed is a growing issue in the industry. Not only does this negatively impact 9-1-1 services and the communities you serve, but it’s impacting your mental health. Telecommunicators are overworked — this was a problem before the pandemic and now illness and quarantine within ECCs have amplified the issue. On this page, we have collected APCO resources that can help ECCs identify the causes of and address staffing shortages. We will continue to add resources to this page as they are developed.
Keep Your Eyes Open for the Next 911 Staffing Summit
Join public safety professionals, state and local government leaders and innovative companies from the private sector to explore ways to improve retention, innovate recruiting, streamline the hiring process, implement creative staffing strategies and build a culture of excellence.
Webinars
Improving 9-1-1 Staff Performance & Retention: Why Targeted Quality Assurance Is Essential
Recorded May 22, 2024
CDEs Earned: 1 | Free for APCO Members
Telecommunicators are the very heart of your 9-1-1 center, but with turnover at an all-time high, the revolving door is working against you. Is your 9-1-1 center struggling with staff performance and retention? You’re not alone. Turnover is straining 9-1-1 centers everywhere. There are many contributing factors, including mandatory overtime, stress and burnout, and low pay and long hours. Telecommunicators also need coaching and timely feedback to thrive on the job.
Sponsored by NICE
The State of 9-1-1 Staff Performance and Retention
Recorded May 24, 2023
CDEs Earned: 1 | Free for APCO Members
Is your 9-1-1 center struggling with staff performance and retention? You’re not alone. Issues like these are putting a strain on 9-1-1 centers everywhere, and there are many contributing factors. Our recent benchmark study on the current State of 9-1-1 Staff Performance and Retention pulls back the covers to examine why 9-1-1 telecommunicators are leaving and best practices you can put into practice to close the revolving door to do more with less.
Sponsored by NICE
Limited Staff and Increasing Calls for Service: Leveraging Affordable Technology to Address Staffing Challenges
Recorded April 4, 2023
CDEs Earned: 1 | Free for APCO Members
Learn how to affordably manage call volume with limited staff using fully automated dispatch alerting. During this webinar, you’ll hear from Todd Tuttle, recent Assistant Fire Chief of Greensboro, NC on how implementing automated dispatch alerting improved the efficiency of Greensboro’s dispatch center.
Sponsored by US Digital Designs
Register to watch the recording
Leveraging Automated Dispatch Alerting to Address Workload and Staffing Challenges
Recorded October 11, 2022
CDEs Earned: 1 | Free for APCO Members
Hiring and retaining dispatchers has become a major challenge for most emergency dispatch centers. Dispatcher workload and stress largely contribute to this, but how do you address these issues? Join Todd Tuttle as he shares his experience with automated dispatch alerting and how it can help reduce PST workloads and improve response times.
Sponsored by US Digital Designs
Register to watch the recording
Improving Staffing for ECCs: How to Measure Your Staffing Needs
Recorded June 22, 2022
CDEs Earned: 1 | Free for everyone
APCO recognizes that emergency communications centers are struggling with staffing and retention and is offering this webinar to address some of these issues. In this webinar, APCO staff and ECC personnel will describe tools for measuring performance and staffing needs. Analyzing your ECC’s performance and staffing needs is helpful for requesting funding for additional positions, justifying hiring and retention bonuses, and reporting positive performance to leadership and the public.
Articles
Project 43: Broadband Implications for the PSAP: Workforce
The workforce in a fully broadband-enabled ECC will require an expanded set of knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as new staffing models to manage critical incident exposure, workforce burnout, retention challenges, and generational differences.
PSC Magazine Articles
PSC, APCO’s bi-monthly magazine is the authoritative source of information on public safety communications worldwide. APCO’s annual May/June issue of PSC magazine focuses on staffing and retention.
PSC magazine, in either print or digital form, is a benefit of APCO membership. To read all of the related stories from past issues, members can log in to view the PSC back issues. If you are not a member, you can access the stories by joining APCO International.
Recent issues and articles include:
May/June 2024 Issue
- 9-1-1’s Attention to Retention
- Dividing the Pie
- In and Out
- Introducing, Interns
- Personal Attention
- The Telecommunicators Are Out There
- Training With Grace
- Wisdom of the Staffing Summit (#CDE 67609)
May/June 2023 Issue
- Why We Leave 9-1-1
- How 9-1-1 Changes You
- Show Me the Money?
- Feedback Loop (CDE #65178)
- Staffing, Retention and Wellness at APCO 2023
May June 2022 Issue
- Recruiting Quality Public Safety Telecommunicators
- Public Safety Telecommunications Training Goes to High School
- Grooming and Appearance: Is It Time for a Change?
- Direct Channel: Staffing Shortages in 9-1-1
Articles From Other Issues
- Building A Better ECC (July/August 2024)
- Changing of the Guard (July/August 2024)
- Staffing Up (CDE #65180)(July/August 2023)
- How to Employ Recognition in the ECC (March/April 2022)
- Recognition Success Stories (March/April 2022)
- Hiring Processes in 9-1-1 What Does Your Agency Do? (September/October 2021)
- “9-1-1, What Is Your Emergency?” Staffing (July/August 2021)
Presentations
APCO 2024 Sessions Related to Staffing & Retention
Planning on attending APCO 2024? Check out some of the professional development sessions focused on staffing and retention:
APCO 2024 Sessions Related to Staffing & Retention
Staffing in the 9-1-1 World
Sunday, August 4 — 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Championing Well-being and Community Engagement
Sunday, August 4 — 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Fully Staffed: New Ways We Approach Hiring & Training
Sunday, August 4 — 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Overcoming Poor Leadership
Sunday, August 4 — 10:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m.
Conflict Management
Sunday, August 4 — 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Saying Farewell: Employee Off-boarding
Sunday, August 4 — 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
100 Ways to Show Employees Appreciation
Monday, August 5 — 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Building a Community of Belonging in the ECC
Monday, August 5 — 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Beyond Thank You: Expressing Appreciation at Work
Tuesday, August 6 — 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.  —
Boosting 9-1-1 Staff Performance, Retention and Mental Health
Tuesday, August 6 — 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Director in Distress: Destigmatizing Mental Health for Leaders
Tuesday, August 6 — 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Implementation of Wellness Practices and Policies
Tuesday, August 6 — 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Alleviating the Health Challenges of Telecommunicators
Tuesday, August 6 — 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
I’m All Wellnessed Out!
Tuesday, August 6 — 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Manage Performance With Feedback: Bring Out the Best
Tuesday, August 6 — 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
9-1-1 Comms and Critters With 42-PU
Wednesday, August 7 — 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Be Who YOU Need(ed)!
Wednesday, August 7 — 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Engaging the Overnight Shift: Strategies for Success
Wednesday, August 7 — 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
ROG the Dog: Providing Calm and Care in the Middle of Chaos
Wednesday, August 7 — 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Culture, the Movie
Wednesday, August 7 — 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Build, Empower & Inspire Your Peer Support Team
Wednesday, August 7 — 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
More APCO Resources
APCO Course: Public Safety Communications Staffing and Employee Retention
Designed to provide guidance and information to ECC employees at every level, this course provides over 300 tips, guidelines and effective practices on subjects ranging from creating effective shift schedules to candidate recruitment and from maintaining staff to employee recognition.
Project RETAINS
APCO Project RETAINS (Responsive Efforts To Address Integral Needs in Staffing) provides managers with tools and strategies to increase the effectiveness of their own management practices, thereby improving staffing, retention and employee satisfaction in emergency communications centers throughout the country.
Project RETAINS has two complementary parts – the study of ECC directors and employees and the RETAINS Toolkit 3.0.
Military Employment Guidebook for ECCs (Updated June 2024)
This document as a guide for ECCs to initiate engagement with the veteran and military spouse communities to tap into the broad, and often times confusing, networks to access talent that are known for understanding commitment to service and dedication to mission.
