Wash-Out Rate Explains Understaffing

The Grand Junction (Colo.) Regional Comm Center hires only five percent of applicants, and from 30% to 50% of those in training wash-out, leading to the current staffing shortage. A long article in the Daily Sentinel newspaper notes that the stress, comm center working conditions and the computer tasks all discourage new dispatchers from staying on the job. Even police chief Bill Gardner says the comm center is “like a jail” because of the room and the need for dispatchers to be tied to their consoles during the shift. He received funding to add 13 new positions, but filling them has been difficult, even as senior dispatchers retire. Read the full article here. Also check this blog posting by John Linko, a former supervisor at the comm center.