Headlines across the country focus on the shortage of police officers on the street and firefighters in the station. Yet, there is an equally critical, often invisible crisis happening behind the scenes: the massive staffing shortage in 911 telecommunications centers.
Dispatchers are the literal lifeline for both the public and first responders. Yet, centers are facing unprecedented vacancy rates, leading to dangerous mandatory overtime for remaining staff and burnout that fuels a vicious cycle of turnover. Recruiting for these roles requires a different playbook than recruiting for sworn positions.
The Unique Challenge of Selling the Role
Unlike the visible, action-oriented branding used for police or fire, the dispatcher role is sedentary, high-stress, and involves intense emotional labor without the public recognition.
Marketing these roles requires brutal honesty combined with a focus on impact. You aren’t selling adrenaline; you are selling the ability to be the calm voice in someone’s worst moment. Your marketing needs to target individuals with specific psychological resilience and multitasking abilities, rather than physical prowess.
Speed is Even More Critical
The candidate pool for dispatchers often overlaps with the private sector (customer service, logistics, healthcare coordination). These private industries hire in days, not months.
If your center requires a 4-month background process for a dispatcher role, you will lose good candidates to private sector jobs that pay similarly and hire next week. Agencies must find ways to fast-track dispatcher hiring or use intense automated engagement to keep them on the hook during necessary background checks.
Using Technology to Screen for Resilience
Modern recruiting software can help upfront. Instead of just a resume drop, use your initial application workflow to deliver realistic job previews (videos of actual calls) and resilience screening questionnaires. This helps candidates self-select out before you invest time in them, ensuring you spend your resources on those most likely to thrive in the seat.
Safeguard Recruiting understands that public safety is a whole ecosystem. We have specialized strategies for recruiting vital telecommunicator roles.
Contact us to discuss staffing your comms center.
