More than 1 in 5 dispatch centers in America’s 100 biggest cities fail to answer 911 calls fast enough, according to an investigation for a recent episode of the public radio show “Reveal.” Reporter Byard Duncan found Dane County to be among the majority of those centers meeting the mark and sought to understand why.
When someone calls 911, dispatch centers try to answer 90 percent of calls within 15 seconds and 95 percent of calls within 20 seconds. That standard, set by the National Emergency Number Association, can be important to make sure first responders can arrive to assist callers and ultimately save lives.
Duncan is an investigative reporter covering business and consumer protection issues for “Reveal.” He told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that staffing crises have plagued dispatch centers in Wisconsin and across the nation for years…