Who you gonna call? Panel will explore 911 dispatcher shortage

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In an emergency, we pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1 without much thought as to whether someone will answer.

Increasingly though, communities across Wisconsin face a shortage of 911 dispatchers.

Who will answer our calls if the crisis continues? And how can communities turn the shortage around?

That’s what we’ll explore in a free, virtual event on Feb. 18 from noon to 1:15 p.m. Reporter Miranda Dunlap will moderate a panel discussion featuring industry professionals and educators. The panelists are:

Billi Jo Baneck, instructor, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.
Andrew Baus, associate dean, Moraine Park Technical College.
Gail Goodchild, emergency preparedness director, Waukesha County.
Tamee Thom, emergency communications center director, Chippewa County.

Goodchild and her team went from 20 vacancies in 2023 to just two in July 2025, according to Miranda’s reporting. We’ll ask Goodchild to share what steps Waukesha County took to make that happen, the challenges officials faced along the way and how things are going now.

Brown County’s 911 dispatcher shortage is relentless. What will it take to fix it?

Experts say departments must boost morale, get creative with hiring and training and address the mental health toll the job takes. Waukesha County offers an example.

Baneck and Baus represent colleges where students train to become emergency telecommunicators. We’ll ask them what the training looks like, how they market their programs and more.

Thom spent 21 years as a 911 dispatcher and has been leading Chippewa County’s emergency communications center for six years. We’ll ask her about the pros and cons of being a dispatcher and how the job has changed over the past two decades.

Register for the free event here. Submit a question for the panelists when you register, or email me at jzvandenhouten@wisconsinwatch.org.

P.S. We’re launching an email newsletter focused on northeast Wisconsin! Cast a vote and sign up to receive the newsletter here. Watch for it in your inbox next month.