The Marion County-Indianapolis Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency (MESA) is facing a significant shortage of 911 dispatchers, with about 20% of positions currently open. Chief Tom Sellas attributes this shortage to the lack of competitive pay due to budget constraints. MESA has requested an increase of almost $2 million for the 2025 budget to address this issue, bringing the total requested amount to just under $30 million.
Sellas expressed concerns about the impact of the staffing shortage on response times, which currently range from 18 to 24 seconds. He emphasized the need to lower these times to 10 seconds or less to improve emergency services. However, without additional funding, filling open dispatcher positions will be challenging. The agency is currently down 35 people, and Sellas estimates that they would need around 175 dispatchers to be fully staffed.
To attract and retain dispatchers, MESA plans to increase the starting annual pay for a Marion County dispatcher to $54,000 in 2025. Additionally, the dispatchers have recently unionized, with plans to negotiate a collective-bargaining agreement for 2026.
Sellas highlighted the importance of providing the necessary services to the community, emphasizing the role of dispatchers in emergency response. He urged the City-County Council to consider the budget increase request to ensure the agency can effectively fulfill its duties and improve response times.
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