News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cumberland County 911 Director Eric Ritzman has been appointed to a state board where he said he hopes he can help dispatchers.
The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board (TECB) provides and sets financial and operational standards for all emergency communications districts in Tennessee. Ritzman said work-place stress is at the top of his list to be addressed.
“Well, personally, I would like to provide the opportunities for communicators to improve their mental and physical well-being,” Ritzman said. “I’m hoping I can use this position to work on that. There’s a lot of stress and burnout in the 911 industry. I think that’s true for public safety in general, but communicators tend to be the unseen element in a lot of that. We are not out in the forefront like your field-first responders are, law enforcement, fire, medical. We still got a lot of the stress. We just don’t get a lot of the acknowledgement or glory that goes along with that.”
Ritzman said another challenge he hopes to tackle is the issue of technology in the 911 field. He said as more and more devices can call 911 it increases the work load on already-understaffed 911 dispatchers.
“The combination of short staffing and work-place stress top the list,” Ritzman said. “Those two kind of feed into each other. Then the change in technology. It just brings an entirely new level of stress and workload to them.”
The TECB is over all 100 emergency communication districts in the state. In addition to financial and operational standards, the board sets technical, operational, and dispatcher training standards.
“I’m just really looking forward to the opportunity to serve the state,” Ritzman said. “I’ve been serving our county here for a while. I’m looking forward to applying those skills at the state level.”
Ritzman has been the director of the Cumberland County 911 since 2012. The nine-member board meet quarterly. Ritzman will attend his first meeting in February.
