SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — Dispatchers answer the call when someone dials 911 -- in need of life saving help -- sometimes even providing life saving instructions before the ambulance arrives.

They juggle listening to the radio, entering caller information, and coordinating with first responders: mastering multi-tasking to keep their communities safe and healthy.

While Somerset County has 16 full-time and five part-time dispatchers -- they're still in need of five more -- according to Joel Landis, Director of Emergency Services.

That person has the important job of not only talking to the caller and giving them important instructions, but then relaying it onto those first response agencies, so they can respond to emergencies," Landis told 6 News.

He says 911 dispatchers are a "vital link" between those calling to report an emergency and the first responders who rush to help them.

"They're the first responder that tells the local emergency services which incident to respond to," Landis said.

The Somerset County Department of Emergency Services recently posted this advertisement on their Facebook Page:

Their team was also included in this commercial -- part of a county wide hiring campaign -- in the hopes of hiring more 911 dispatchers:

The county's Human Resources Director Jodi Lepley says they're looking to hire people willing to learn who are familiar with the geography of Somerset County.

"We all know that recruiting and hiring people has been a struggle for everyone -- no matter what business you're in -- and county government is no different. We're struggling with finding individuals who want to work here at the 911 center," she told 6 News.

Lepley says Somerset County 911 dispatchers make $13.01 per hour, which comes out to about $27,000 per year.

But officials highlight the county's "fabulous" retirement plans and flexible hours as a bonus to the fulfilling job.

If maybe you're an individual that doesn't think you're a fit to be a firefighter, a police officer, or an EMT, maybe a dispatcher position would be something you'd be interested in. You'd be part of the emergency services field, but yet you wouldn't have to necessarily respond out to calls. You would be a vital link for that emergency situation," Landis told 6 News.

In addition to doing their jobs, 911 dispatchers also provide words of encouragement on likely the worst day of someone's life.

"The first responders don't go anywhere without our dispatchers telling them about those calls," said Landis.

The Somerset County Commissioners tell 6 News that the county is also hiring across the board.

We do have recruitment needs in our 911 Center, but are also experiencing workforce shortages in Children and Youth Services and at the Somerset County Jail. Somerset County signed a four-year agreement in 2022 with the United Mine Workers Union which represents our corrections officers, and the county is currently in negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees who among others, represent CYS caseworkers as well as dispatchers whose contract expires in December 2023. Workforce shortages in county 911 centers in an issue being experienced statewide," Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes wrote to 6 News in a statement.

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