The Pulse of 911 2024

of respondents believe technology can make it easier to manage staffing shortages

Leaders are more optimistic than frontline staff: 75% of managers, deputy directors, and directors say yes. The tools lag behind that belief. Fewer than 5% of centers have call triage, 24% use incident imagery (up from just under 20%), and only 27% can handle WhatsApp or other instant messaging. Access to accurate location data reached 73%, up from fewer than half a year earlier. More than three quarters of centers had an outage, and 56% had a CAD outage.

of 911 centers struggle with unfilled positions, down from 88% in 2023

Centers that struggle to hire fell from 80% to 73%, and 75% say they lack the approved headcount to add staff. Unable to hire enough staff was the top staffing challenge, ranked in the top three by 53% of respondents, with burnout next at 36%. Overtime fills the gap: 22% of telecommunicators work mandatory overtime daily and 50% work it at least weekly.

of telecommunicators feel stressed about coming to work each day

Even so, 87% say they love or like their job. Employers offering mental health support rose from 90% to more than 95%, and use of those services climbed from 34% to 44%. Burnout symptoms are widespread: 85% report at least one, led by fatigue (67%) and anxiety (53%). Management ranked as the top stressor for 47%, ahead of the calls themselves at 41%. A quarter say the job has affected their marital status.

of telecommunicators don't feel trained to handle an active shooter call

About the same share feel unprepared for swatting calls, and 2 in 5 are unsure how to handle a suicidal caller or a mental health event. Only 37.5% feel adequately trained for most crises, and that figure drops to 44% unprepared in centers with 50 or more employees. Most centers (46%) take 4 to 9 months to train a new hire.