Dedication of employees

[CMullen8]

How many dispatchers in your center would you say actually do care about their job? At my center, it seems as if about eighty percent of the employees just show up for work to receive a paycheck. This lack of dedication is clearly evident when employees are not familiar with areas, protocols, run assignments, etc. Our center serves two rural counties with a combined population of less than twenty thousand, with eleven total employees, two per shift, working eight hour shifts.

[DualReverse]

Amen, CMullen....We've got about 5 or 6 doinks here (at least 3 of them senior dispatchers) who come in here, sit like lumps, then leave, leaving piles of crap (trash and work) everywhere. We don't have forced overtime, so most of those people work when it suits them, and would rather let a firefighting company go out of service to cover in our office than get off their asses and help....

Our office covers three jurisdictions, soon to be four...We have 5 full timers, and about 15 part timers...

[Frosty42]

Although I am not a dispatcher, Could the problems with non-dedicated staff be related to pay, training or support from management?

[mtomek112]

Although I am not a dispatcher, Could the problems with non-dedicated staff be related to pay, training or support from management?

That has some to do with it. I think in some situations, some may get paid too much. I had a dispatcher here in Memphis pretty much say "where else can you get paid $40,000 + a year to sit around on your butt." She should be fired for making a statement like that, because she prettyy much just said she could care less about the job, just keep giving her a check. I'm not in it for just the money, I'm in it because this is what I want to do.

You are only as good as your supervisors and management. There are a lot of issues nationwide that need to be addressed and you probably hit the nail on the head.

[CMullen8]

Pay, training and support from management are all factors in this equation, but when there is not anyone dedicated to making improvements, we are stuck in a bind.

[MrJim911]

Although I am not a dispatcher, Could the problems with non-dedicated staff be related to pay, training or support from management?

I am a Dispatcher, and yes. Add to that an administration that probbaly shouldn't be in charge of communications. Also add to it poor hiring practices that don't weed out people that make statements like "just keep giving me a pay check".

[Weruj1]

We dispatch for a large county, better than 330K population.....and do EMS only. Only a few of us run actively in any fire/EMS field anymore, the fire dispatchers in general suck here ................both separate (Fire only) and combined (Sheriff's Office).........it is like that back here where I am tha Asst Chief too. We have only about 3 goofs that are nice people but cant hang with the job. They are dedicated .....just not cut out for the job. We are unionized and have a pretty darn good contract for a small agency, I like it here.