VIDEO: Dubuque celebrated the opening of its new 911 Emergency Communications Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday, marking the completion of a project the county has discussed for more than a decade. The facility at 9880 Chavenelle Drive features updated work stations for dispatchers who answer 911 calls in Dubuque County.
Originally hired as a dispatcher 26 years ago, Jessica George-Rethwisch, now the Dubuque County Emergency Communications Center Director, said the demand for the center is growing. George-Rethwisch’s dispatchers handle more than 100,000 calls annually. “I have the best team ever of 911 dispatchers and this is going to be home! Can’t wait!” George-Rethwisch said.
George-Rethwisch said the department had 12 full-time dispatchers when she started. Currently, her staff exceeds 20 full-timers. Sheriff Joe Kennedy said the old space created efficiency problems. “When you take a space that was intended for x number of people and you double the number of people, it really just hurts the efficiency,” Kennedy said.
The old center is 460 square feet while the new one is nearly 3,000 square feet. George-Rethwisch said the center is also a technological upgrade. The center needs to handle increasingly more calls, and those calls are getting more complex, she said. “I don’t want the dispatchers to have to hurry up through that call to get to the next call. I want them to be able to take their time and get that citizen the time they deserve and get the questions answered accurately instead of hurrying through it,” George-Rethwisch said.
The county conducted a study evaluating needs for a new space in 2012. The new center cost more than $5 million. The City of Dubuque used $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to cover nearly half the cost. The dispatchers will move from their current location to the new facility next month.
