I-TEAM: Richmond County dispatchers to see pay increase
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Commissioners acted swiftly after another report of a 911 call going unanswered over the weekend.
Currently, the Richmond County 911 center is short more than 20 positions.
The main reason? The pay.
Our I-TEAM rang the alarm on the shortage this spring.
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Two months after our report aired, commissioners voted to increase the current and starting pay for 911 dispatchers beginning next month.
Richmond County dispatchers answer about 500 to 800 calls a day, which now includes dispatching EMS calls under the new ambulance provider.
And high call volume does not equal high pay.
Dispatchers start at just over $16 an hour, which has caused a problem with recruitment and retention since the pandemic.
“And the main struggle we are facing with the salaries that’s the primary reason we have staff leaving. I received a resignation from an employee who stated she could not afford to pay her $1,400 rent, $600 car payments, and afford $98 a week in childcare,” said 911 director, Daniel Dunlap.
Commissioner Sean Frantom said: “I think we should do this now because of the health, safety and welfare of those employees. It seems like it would help.”
Starting next month, 911 workers will get a $3 an hour bump across the board, bringing the starting pay to just under $20 an hour.
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