Sampson’s 911 center strengthening training

In a moment of life or death, sometimes a 911 call can make all the difference between saving a life and shattering families.

For that reason, and many others, officials at the Sampson County 911 call center have begun to meet more modern standards of training and operation to improve what they believe is an already strong service agency.

The Sampson County Emergency Management division, in conjunction with the 911 Communications Center, Emergency Medical Services and the Fire Marshal have taken steps to evolve to meet the needs of Sampson County residents through updated training and the hiring of new telecommunicators, but the threat of losing employees to other employers, and the financial investment it takes to train new 911 call center employees, can be quite a burden.

In August, Sampson County Emergency Services hired its first training coordinator, Amy Therrien, to help train potential new 911 telecommunicators and oversee the development of the new training program.

What used to be done outside of the center, at a community college, can now be done on site, at the 911 call center.

December 2024 marked the beginning of their first in-house training class with six students, who will be 911 telecommunicators once they complete their training.

“The training officer we hired back in August was really needed here,” explained 911 Telecommunications Director Cliff Brown. “We haven’t had a dedicated training officer until now.”

Brown noted that when he started in 2006, they had more time to train someone, but the call volume has picked up since then. In the past 19 years, Sampson County’s 911 call volume has increased by 38 percent, Brown said as he explained the need for a change. “So, when we started reaching out to other 911 professionals, we hired a training officer and just started our first ever academy — they are trained for eight weeks to be 911 operators.”

With the population having dropped since the last census, it’s only natural to wonder why the uptick in the volume of 911 calls. Brown said it is attributed to the types of calls they receive.

The animal control calls are part of the increase and non-emergency calls for almost anything from busted water pipes, to weather can also be a contributing factor.

“If someone from the town of Newton Grove calls because of a broken water pipe, they take the call which is part of the 38 percent increase,” said Brown, noting 4,800 calls in 2023 were for animal control, or animal-related calls, which make up part of the 38 percent increase. In 2023, there were a total of 71,000 calls for service (CFS) and 39,000 were actual 911 emergency calls.

Staff retention is important when operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“It takes a special type of person to want to do this job, working nights, holidays, weekends, and the storms we (often) have coming”

“When everything else closes down, the 911 center remains open. We are here regardless,” said Emergency Medical Services Chief Erick Herring. “(It) is something that most people take for granted; they just don’t think about it.”

“Telecommunicators miss birthdays, weddings, and other events” added Rick Sauer, Sampson County Emergency Management director. “And when employees request time off, we try to use part-timers to fill in for vacations and when people are sick, the best we can.”

“They also miss school and ball game functions for their kids” Herring explained. “The telecommunicators cant just leave the phone. They’re dedicated.”

That dedication is something best served by people born and raised in the community they serve, the center staff noted.

“Our employees are dedicated because it’s home,” Herring added. “They could go somewhere else and make more money, but this is home.”

Brown said although they work the best with telecommunicators, it’s hard to fill every seat.

“911 is a calling. Not everybody is cut out for that. We’ve had a few come for two days and just can’t do it and that’s all right. It’s definitely a calling,” he said.

And with the five potential employees currently in training, they will have more employees to fill positions, even though they are only down one full-time telecommunicator at the moment.

But there is no guarantee that these trainees will work for the Sampson County 911 Emergency Center when they finish the program or decide to stick with the career.

Some factors have to do with pay, including the ability to earn more elsewhere.

“Right now, if we hire anyone off the street, you’re looking at four to six months before they are turned loose on their own,” explained Sauer.

Such programs as the emergency telecommunicator course (ETD), emergency medical dispatch (EMD) cost $1,750 and that’s just to send them to the training class.

Brown said after getting employees trained, some will take a job at a neighboring county that pays better, and then he has to train new personnel all over again.

“My philosophy is, I want people to work here,” Herring stressed, as he talked about the issue of retaining employees, reiterating his belief on hiring locally. “There are plenty of other agencies where employees can go to make more money, but this is home. They enjoy the atmosphere here and want to stay. This is home. I think this is one of the ways you have to offset the salary gap.”

“To train an employee for four to six months and have them work for us is a win-win,” added Sauer, “we get to know them during training so when they’re ready to go on their own they’re already comfortable here.”

He added that looking at what other counties pay and being in the median of pay wages also helps retain good employees, and state-of-the-art technology, like what they have in the new 911 emergency center building, which opened in 2023 has really helped.

Brown piggybacked on that statement, adding, “911 evolves every day; it’s constantly changing. We have it now where you can text 911, which is available here, and the telecommunicator can text you back.”

Other 911 services includes video, which involves a caller sending a video of the scene of an accident to give the responders a look at the situation before they arrive, however that is not yet available in Sampson County.

Those technology upgrades usually depend on state and federal grants, and taxes, such as the dollar tax on cell phone bills. Funds from these resources are what helped to build the new emergency center on Commerce Street.

Grant money pays for a big chuck of equipment such as radios and software but not salaries, which come completely from the county budget.

Sauer wouldn’t say if he would request a budget increase when meeting with incoming interim county manager Jeffrey Hudson, but he said inflation, alone, would need to be considered. And, he added, there are other ways to retain good employees and keep morale high.

“A lot of employees think they’re not recognized enough because they are behind a desk and not on the streets. It’s a very stressful job,” Brown added to Sauer’s comment on morale. “You could save a life one second and someone could be taking their own life the next second. They have a lot to deal with and need to know terminology. They’re making split second decisions”

Herring added to the sentiment. “You’re always hearing about police and firefighters but nobody thinks to thank the 911 operator, so we try to do what we can to show them the appreciation they deserve.

“We have Telecommunicator Week every April; we let them do different stuff, such as providing them a meal and let them do a fun dress code day, and they are given free items that are fun and useful,” explained Sauer.

“All of our employees are human; just like everybody else they have feelings and want to do the right thing and know they are appreciated,” said Herring “When they get a 911 call, or go to a call that has a bad outcome, and see a family hurt, they hurt.”