TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- Officials at the Lee County Emergency 911 center say they're seeing a decrease in employees and are now looking to fill those positions.
According to the lee County E-911 Center Director Paul Harkins, the position of a dispatcher is not an easy, everyday task.
"A lot of times, the employee doesn't fit the organization, or the organization doesn't fit the employee," Harkins explains.
Harkins says each employee is trained thoroughly on what to do and how to react in different emergency scenarios.
“We follow the protocol that will allow the dispatcher to assist the caller in handling that situation until help arrives such as cardiac arrest we’ll provide cardiac arrest or CPR over the phone.”
The center's director says his department receives over 500 calls per day, which range from something as little as fender benders, all the way to home fires.
“It's a very stressful job, there's a lot of bad stuff that comes in on 911 calls, and there's no telling what type of emergency we will handle,” Harkins says.
He says although it is a difficult job, each dispatcher feels rewarded after each successful call.
“They have a lot going on a lot on their plate, but it can be rewarding as well because they know at the end of the day that their officer went home safe."
If you would like to apply for the Lee County E-911 Center, you're encouraged to apply at the Lee County Board of Supervisors.
