Personnel Board Hears Dispatcher’s Appeal

Members of the Fulton County (Geo.) Personnel Board spent five hours hearing testimony in the case of fired 911 dispatcher Gina Conteh, who is trying to win back her job–the third time she’s appealed a disciplinary action during her 12 years with the agency. According to county officials, Conteh misdirected EMS units last in Aug. 2008, leading to a delay that may have contributed to a woman’s death. She was fired shortly after, and long-time 911 center director Alfred Moore was reassigned. But Conteh’s lawyer contends the county’s comm center is understaffed, that Conteh was overworked, and that she was never trained to perform EMS dispatching duties. Attorney Rory Starkey told a reporter, “The county is attempting to place the weight of this incident on a $30,000-a-year employee. Training wasn’t done right. Management wasn’t done right.” The family of the victim has said they intend to file a civil lawsuit against Conteh. The center has been the subject of a series of newspaper articles claiming the center is understaffed, leading to response delays. Read more about the board hearing and previous news articles here.