When news broke about the shortage of air traffic controllers, the public took notice because flights were delayed, and safety was questioned nationwide. But what about the other shortage that’s been happening on the ground? 911 dispatchers are currently in crisis, too, and they’re the ones guiding help when it matters most.

The average vacancy rate across U.S. 911 centers hovers around 25%, and in some communities, half of the dispatchers the center should have simply aren’t there. That doesn’t mean calls stop, though. The burden falls on whoever’s available, piling on stress and fatigue that comes with longer response times. It’s not just a staffing problem but a wider public safety problem.

Why the job is so hard to fill

The demands of the dispatcher role are extraordinary. These aren’t switchboard operators but rather true community lifelines. In the middle of chaos, dispatchers have to listen closely and make sense of what’s happening. They’re entering details into different systems, talking a caller through some of the worst moments of their life, and at the same time keeping first responders in the loop. It’s a juggling act few people could manage, let alone day after day.

Agencies often report only a small fraction of applicants make it through the first round of screening, and fewer than that finish probation. This is no surprise, the job simply isn’t for everyone. It requires sharp multitasking and a calm voice under pressure, with some estimating that fewer than one in 10 who are hired actually stay for longer than three years.

Operator training reflects that intensity. The learning curve is steep and becoming fully capable can take anywhere from six months to over a year. New hires have to master computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software, radio systems, mapping tools, medical protocols, legal standards, disaster protocols, crisis communication techniques and hundreds of city, state, county and federal procedures, often on systems that don’t integrate and require the same information to be entered more than once.

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