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Ramsey County in search of 911 telecommunicators
County officials say they’re looking to fill 13 positions with pay ranging from $24.68 to $35.70 per hour.
RAMSEY COUNTY, Minn. — Minnesota’s largest emergency dispatch center is short-staffed. The Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center needs more than a dozen 911 telecommunicators and is now spreading the word on radio and TV. Those interested in the position are encouraged to apply by Monday, March 13.
Center director Nancie Pass says while public safety dispatchers share information with first responders heading to a scene, 911 telecommunicators take crucial first calls for help from the public.
“So we’re gathering information, we’re asking lots of questions to build a picture for the officer or firefighter or the ambulance driver that is responding to the scene,” Pass said.
Pass’ career in emergency communications stems back 30 years and over the years, some things have changed. For example, the public can now text 911 in addition to calling. Also, employees like Sasha Quandt can exercise on the job. She walks on a treadmill paid for by Ramsey County as she works at her standing desk.
Quandt has worked in the center for about eight years and, like Pass, she’s been promoted. She spent about a year working as a 911 telecommunicator before advancing to the public safety dispatcher position.
“Some of the harder aspects are talking to somebody when they’re having the worst day of their life,” Quandt said. “You have to really get your emotions under control because you’re a human being, too, and it’s easy to empathize with others … Whenever there’s somebody that’s in a life-threatening situation and they get out of it, that is huge for us.”
But there aren’t enough people taking those crucial first calls for help, Pass says, as there are currently 47 telecommunicators on staff. Sixty would be fully staffed.
“When we’re short-staffed, that means our current staff have to work harder,” Pass said. “Some people have left our organization because it is difficult. It’s hard to have that work-life balance when you have to work the extra hours.”
“We are hiring 911 telecommunicators,” she continued. “The position is open currently and it closes on March 13. We’re hoping to hire at least 13 people.”
Hourly pay ranges from $24.68 to $35.70 with night and weekend differential. Training is paid as well and lasts for at least eight weeks. Benefits include medical and dental insurance with single and family coverage options, retirement and deferred compensation plans, accrued vacation and sick time, and holiday pay. Employees also have protections under the Law Enforcement Labor Services union.
Pass also mentioned that there are employee support groups.
“It’s a peer-to-peer support for talking to somebody after having a hard call,” she said. “When you go home, you are going to have tough days. It’s going to be challenging but you can go home and you can sleep really well knowing that you helped people in your community.”
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Authorities said they’re concerned for Yarmakov’s wellbeing because she lives with autism and Type 1 Diabetes.
MCGREGOR, Minn. — Search and rescue efforts are ongoing for a woman who went missing in rural Aitkin County last week as multiple local and state agencies and volunteers continue to comb through the area north of McGregor.
In an update posted to its Facebook page Tuesday morning, the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office said Tonya Yarmakov, 23, still hadn’t been located since her family reported her missing from Savanna State Park on Sept. 4. Authorities said they’re concerned for Yarmakov’s wellbeing because she lives with autism and Type 1 Diabetes.
According to the sheriff’s original press release, Yarmakov was in the park outside McGregor with her family the morning she went missing. The release said family members allegedly told authorities they left Yarmakov alone on a dock as they went fishing, and around noon, saw her get up and run away.
The statement said the family launched their own search before reporting her missing around 1:30 p.m.
Yarmakov is 5 feet tall and has dark brown hair. The sheriff said she was last seen wearing a rainbow tie-dyed t-shirt, gym shorts, black shoes and black headphones.
According to police, crews have logged hundreds of hours searching for Yarmakov thus far, but have not turned up any leads.
If you have information about Yarmakov’s current whereabouts, the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office urges you to contact them at 218-927-7435 or call 911.
While the school building was impacted, police say no students or staffers were hurt in the incident.
DULUTH, Minn. — Students and staffers at a Duluth elementary school encountered a bit of unexpected – and unwanted – excitement Friday morning when a vehicle smashed through a wall of their gym.
Northern News Now/KBJR reports that the incident unfolded at Myers-Wilkins Elementary on N. 8th Ave. E. just before 8:30 a.m. Duluth police told the station that two people were inside the vehicle when it ran a stop sign, went through the intersection and down an embankment, then careened through the gym wall.
No one inside the school was hurt, but the two people in the car were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Duluth Public School District tells Northern News Now the gymnasium will be closed for an undetermined time while engineers examine its structural integrity.
Meanwhile the school is on a secure protocol, meaning access to the building is limited while students go about their day.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for scratches and bite wounds to the head, face and legs.
BREMERTON, Wash. — A child and their mother were attacked by a river otter at the Bremerton Marina Thursday morning.
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), a woman and her young child were walking on a dock around 9:30 a.m. when the river otter pulled the child into the water. The woman said the child was underwater for a few moments before resurfacing.
WDFW officials say the otter kept attacking the woman while she pulled the child out of the water.
The child was treated at a hospital in Silverdale for scratches and bite wounds to the head, face and legs. The woman was bit on the arm.
“We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency,” said WDFW Sergeant Ken Balazs said in a prepared statement. “We would also like to thank the Port of Bremerton for their quick coordination and communication to their marina tenants.”
According to WDFW, the otters in the marina will be “trapped and lethally removed” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, then tested for rabies.
River otter attacks are rare, and WDFW officials advise against instigating any close encounters. There have been six documented human-river otter incidents in Washington state in the last decade.
“When we do see this on the rare occasion that it does occur, it’s for territoriality or protecting its pups. If it’s a female, protecting its pups,” said Matt Blankenship with the WDFW.
And while many think of them as cute, curious creatures. They can cause serious injuries.
Jen Royce, who lives in Bozeman, Montana, was attacked by a river otter last summer. The damage was extensive.
“I had really large bite wounds on each cheek. A really big gash on this left side of my eye here.. luckily it didn’t get my eye.. it bit through my nose,” Royce said.
She wants to urge others to be cautious around the animal.
“My main goal is to spread awareness. I don’t want people to go out and kill otters. That’s not what this is about. It’s about trying to be more prepared in nature,” Royce said. “Not to let your guard down and hopefully, if someone learns something from my story. I feel like that’s why I’m still here.”
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