SAN ANGELO — Lt. Tim Pucci is getting desperate.

As San Angelo’s population grows, so does the number of calls to the city’s emergency dispatch center. What isn’t growing is the number of dispatchers who answer those calls.

“I hate to use the word,” said Pucci, “but it does reflect a certain degree of desperation. If we fall below a set (staffing) level, we can't provide the emergency services that the city of San Angelo requires.”

Pucci and Sgt. Chris Carpenter, both with the San Angelo Police Department, stood together in a square, compact room, surrounded by computer monitors.

“All of the public safety services that are provided to every single citizen in the San Angelo area originate in this room, and all come through to these people here,” said Pucci, gesturing toward a total of four dispatchers — the mandatory number in the room at all times.

Last year, the dispatchers handled about 215,430 calls, averaging 590 calls a day, Carpenter said.

The center is meant to have “a staff of 21 dispatchers and three supervisors,” Pucci said.

“We’re currently at 15 — counting the supervisors,” Carpenter said. “We’re nine positions short.”

Pucci credited both luck and divine providence for keeping San Angelo’s dispatch center from falling too far below critical staffing needs, but the position shortage has created a serious strain on personnel.

"This type of job is very stressful," Pucci said. "We have a high turnover rate, and consequently we can't keep the number of people on the floor that we need each day for services.”

As a result, mandatory overtime has become the rule.

“It's not uncommon for dispatchers to work a regular eight-hour shift, then work an additional four hours, doing a 12-hour shift," Pucci said.

Each dispatcher “is looking at 48 hours of overtime for the month of January alone,” Carpenter said.

“They'll often be called in on their days off as well,” Pucci said. “Many times (our dispatchers) work six or seven days a week, and get half a day off. The only way we can get any relief to them is to have more people in here.”

Hiring more dispatchers takes a considerable amount of time, though.

The monthslong process involves passing basic skills tests, a background check and psychological and physical examinations — then beginning the actual training portion of becoming a state-licensed telecommunicator.

“There's this large block of time — eight-and-a-half to nine months — where we can't use that person in any real effective way,” Pucci said.

To faster shore up San Angelo’s beleaguered dispatchers, Pucci and Carpenter ushered in a new program last November: enlisting the aid of volunteers.

“(Volunteer) call takers don’t require state licensing,” Carpenter said. “We’ve already checked that with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.”

Pucci said a volunteer call taker’s duties are not as rigorous as a full-time dispatcher position. Volunteers do not coordinate fire or police services.

“All they would do is take non-emergency and 911 calls and enter that into the system,“ Pucci said. “It would be just one more person to take a call for service, so that burden is reduced a little bit on the numbers we have.”

The volunteer position is not without stress.

“You’re going to be handling calls (ranging) from kids who (dialed) 911 just playing around to screaming mothers whose kid isn’t breathing,” Carpenter said. “Somebody got shot. Somebody got into a minor fender-bender. You get all sorts of calls.”

A difficult question remains: Who, exactly, would willingly give up their time and volunteer for a unpaid position guaranteed to be stressful?

Right now San Angelo’s dispatch center has only one volunteer call taker.

“This one volunteer that we have is a perfect candidate,” Carpenter said. “She's a college student. Her degree plan is to go into criminal justice. She's wanting to get an idea of how law enforcement works.”

Volunteering in a dispatch center is also “something that will look good on a college student’s resume,” Carpenter said.

Volunteer call takers are expected to put in a minimum of 20 hours a month in four- or five-hour shifts.

“We would also like to see a lot of the members of our retired community here,” Pucci said.

For both Pucci and Carpenter, the ideal candidate for the position is someone who’s asking themselves, “How can I make a real difference?”

“Like any volunteer program, you have to have a willingness to help the public,” Carpenter said. “Knowing you were able to get resources to the person that was having a heart attack, or their house was burning down, or they were in a wreck, and knowing you were able to get them (help) in a timely manner can be rewarding.”

“It’s not a job,” Pucci said. “It’s a lifestyle. It's a calling.”

LEARN MORE

For a list of eligibility requirements, job description and duties, and a volunteer application, visit http://bit.ly/VolunteerEmergencyServicesDispatcher.

For more information about this volunteer opportunity, contact Lt. Tim Pucci at 325-657-4537 or tim.pucci@sanangelopolice.org