TOLEDO, Ohio — We all hope we never have to call 911, but if we do, we expect someone will answer the call fast.
But there is growing concern that's not happening in Lucas County, according to more than five 911 dispatchers and call takers who spoke anonymously with WTOL 11.
"You can't slack on any call, because no call is typical," said one 911 call-taker.
This 911 call taker said they are among many in the call center working up to 16-hour shifts to cover for short staffing.
"12 or 16 hours shifts, be off for 8 hours and be back in for 12- or 16-hour shifts. You have people that are exhausted, and frustrated and just tired," they explained. "That's when mistakes are made."
The call taker also said many employees with disciplinary actions against them are still working, solely because there are not enough people to cover for them. They are also being offered pay in place of vacation time.
Officials with the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department, who oversee the operation of the center, acknowledge there is a staffing shortage in the call center, with 13 employees resigning since April.
Each shift requires anywhere between four to six call takers, which must be covered.
"Those spots are always filled. If somebody calls off, or that shift is not filled, they are forced to stay over," said TFRD spokesperson Pvt. Sterling Rahe.
Call takers and dispatchers said the problem isn't firefighters/EMS getting to a scene fast enough; rather, the issue goes back to not having enough people answering the phones in the 911 center, oftentimes leaving someone in an emergency on hold for quite some time.
"When you have a severely limited number of 911 operators or dispatchers, that affects what the crews are able to do," said one call taker.
This call taker says the staffing numbers they are operating at are dangerous, both for workers and those in an emergency. But officials with the fire department say residents shouldn't be concerned about emergency calls not getting answered.
TFRD officials tell WTOL 11 that there is no issue with response times and they are still able to connect callers to a dispatcher promptly.
We'll continue to follow this story as it develops.