Numerous computer dispatch outages, major staffing shortages and a criminal probe are hanging over D.C.’s 911 call center.
The agency has come under fire for at least the past year for several responses, including to the deadly flooding at District Dogs. More recently, questions have been raised after a 5-month-old baby died during a system outage.
The director of D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications told News4 on Friday the agency is making improvements to address and prevent failures.
The call center set a record for call volume last year, handling 1.8 million calls, up roughly a half-million from typical years. In that period, the 911 system has had 18 disruptions since December.
Local leaders and D.C. Council members have raised questions about whether the office is up to the challenge. Council member Brooke Pinto introduced legislation aimed at holding the agency more accountable, while Council member Charles Allen said the center was in crisis.
“This agency is not in crisis. This agency has been outpaced and is overtaxed, and we are trying to find ways to make improvements to keep up with that change, to make improvements to make the caller experience better. And it’s a holistic change. It’s about addressing staffing. It’s about addressing technology. It’s about addressing training,” Director Heather McGaffin said.
McGaffin told News4 when she took over the agency last year, they had 57 vacancies for call takers. That number is now down to 10.
“My goal is by January 2025 to have all of our positions filled, understanding that things happen and that might not be the case, but that remains my goal, especially for the call-taking side,” she said.
McGaffin pointed to another problem: Too many people are calling 911 when it’s not an emergency. She said hundreds of thousands of calls last year could have been handled by calling 311 or going online.
News4 asked what people should consider before dialing 911. McGaffin said to ask: “Is this life or death? Is this something that I need a police officer, a firefighter or a paramedic right in this moment for?”
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Last month, the agency began giving call takers and dispatchers $800 bonuses if they show up for all assigned shifts. So far, 94 employees have received the bonus.
Despite the bonus and increased hiring, OUC’s data shows it’s still understaffed. According to data obtained by the News4 I-Team, 49% of shifts in early September had less than ideal staffing.
The News4 I-Team confirmed a D.C. family says they called 911 Friday after discovering their 5-month-old wouldn’t wake up from a nap but told police they could not get through to 911. Investigative Reporter Ted Oberg has the latest on Friday’s outage.
