NG911 and the Telecommunicator Staffing Crisis: How Technology Is Part of the Solution

Every day, thousands of 911 telecommunicators across the country answer calls that range from routine to life-threatening. They are the first point of contact in an emergency, the calm voice that guides someone through the worst moments of their life, and the critical link between a person in crisis and the help that is on its way.

And they are leaving the profession at an alarming rate.

The 2025 Pulse of 9-1-1 Report, released by Carbyne and NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, paints a clear picture of a workforce under immense strain. Burnout has overtaken recruitment as the number one challenge facing emergency communication centers. Nearly three out of four centers have open positions. More than one in five trainees fail to complete their training. And 70% of telecommunicators report experiencing stress before every single shift.

The staffing crisis is real, it is growing, and it threatens the ability of PSAPs to deliver the level of service their communities depend on. But the picture is not entirely bleak. Advances in NG911 technology are emerging as a meaningful part of the solution, not by replacing the people behind the headsets, but by giving them better tools, reducing unnecessary workload, and creating a more sustainable work environment.

In this post from NGA, we will look at the scope of the staffing crisis, explore the factors driving it, and examine how NG911 technology and modern PSAP strategies are helping agencies address it.

The Scale of the Problem

The numbers from the 2025 Pulse of 9-1-1 Report are difficult to ignore:

• 74% of emergency communication centers report having open positions, down slightly from 82% the prior year but still critically high.
• Burnout is now the top challenge for the 9-1-1 workforce, surpassing recruitment for the first time.
• 22% of new trainees fail to complete their training programs.
• Nearly 70% of telecommunicators say they experience stress before every shift.
• Reduced performance and productivity is the most commonly reported symptom of workplace stress.
• Over half of new employees at some centers fail to complete their probationary period.

The impact goes beyond the people working the consoles. When centers are short-staffed, call answer times increase, response quality can suffer, and the remaining staff must absorb a heavier workload, which in turn accelerates burnout and drives even more turnover. It is a cycle that, without intervention, tends to get worse rather than better.

What Is Driving the Crisis

Understanding the root causes is essential to addressing them effectively. The staffing crisis is not driven by a single factor; it is the result of several converging pressures.

Chronic Stress and Emotional Toll

Telecommunicators are regularly exposed to traumatic situations: calls involving violence, medical emergencies, accidents, child abuse, and death. Unlike field responders, telecommunicators experience these events through audio, piecing together what is happening from voices, background sounds, and their own imagination. The emotional toll is significant and cumulative.

As NG911 introduces multimedia capabilities such as photo and video sharing, this dimension may intensify. Agencies that are not proactively addressing telecommunicator wellness will find retention is even more difficult in a multimedia environment.

Demanding Schedules and Low Recognition

Most PSAPs operate 24/7/365, requiring shift work that disrupts sleep patterns and personal lives. The 2025 report identifies rigid scheduling as one of the main reasons new hires fail to complete training.

Compounding this is a longstanding issue of professional recognition: despite the critical nature of their work, telecommunicators in many jurisdictions are still classified as clerical or administrative workers rather than first responders. This classification affects pay, benefits, and the broader perception of the role.

Training Attrition

With a 22% trainee failure rate nationally, the investment in hiring and onboarding often does not pay off. The demands of the job become apparent during training, and many new hires decide the role is not sustainable for them. This creates a constant recruitment cycle that strains HR resources and prevents centers from building stable, experienced teams.

Competition from Other Sectors

PSAPs are competing for talent in a labor market where many employers offer higher pay, more flexible schedules, and less stressful working conditions. Without competitive compensation and a compelling value proposition, attracting qualified candidates is an uphill battle.

How NG911 Technology Helps

Technology alone cannot solve a staffing crisis rooted in workplace culture, compensation, and systemic stress. But NG911 capabilities, implemented thoughtfully, can reduce friction, automate low-value tasks, and give telecommunicators better tools to do their jobs effectively with less strain.

Intelligent Call Routing and Workload Distribution

Legacy 911 systems route calls based on fixed geographic boundaries and static configurations. NG911's IP-based infrastructure enables dynamic, policy-based routing that can distribute calls more intelligently across positions and even across centers. During peak periods or staffing shortages, calls can be automatically routed to partner agencies or overflow centers, preventing individual telecommunicators from being overwhelmed.

This kind of smart workload distribution is a direct lever against burnout. When the system itself helps manage volume, staff are less likely to face unsustainable call loads during a shift.

AI-Assisted Call Processing

Artificial intelligence is beginning to play a meaningful role in PSAP operations.

AI tools can assist with:

• Automated transcription and translation, reducing the cognitive load of processing calls from non-English speakers or callers who are difficult to understand.
• Priority triage, helping telecommunicators quickly assess the severity of incoming calls and allocate attention accordingly.
• Suggested response protocols, presenting relevant procedures and resources based on the nature of the call so that telecommunicators spend less time searching and more time acting.
• Non-emergency call filtering, identifying and routing calls that do not require emergency response, which can account for a significant portion of total call volume at many centers.

The 2025 Pulse of 9-1-1 Report found that center leaders increasingly view AI as a critical tool for easing staffing pressures, not as a replacement for people, but as a way to make each person more effective and less burdened by repetitive tasks.

Improved Location Accuracy

One of the most stressful aspects of a telecommunicator's job is trying to determine a caller's location when the information is incomplete or inaccurate. Legacy ALI databases and cell tower triangulation often provide imprecise data, forcing telecommunicators to spend critical seconds or minutes gathering location details verbally.

NG911, with its support for PIDF-LO (Presence Information Data Format, Location Object) and integration with GIS-based routing, delivers significantly more accurate and actionable location data from the start of the call. This reduces one of the most time-sensitive and stress-inducing parts of the job.

Cloud-Based Flexibility

Cloud-based NG911 solutions can enable remote or hybrid work arrangements for some PSAP functions. While not all roles can be performed remotely, certain administrative, supervisory, and overflow call-handling functions can be distributed outside the physical center.

This flexibility can be a powerful retention and recruitment tool, particularly for experienced telecommunicators who might otherwise leave due to scheduling constraints.

Beyond Technology: Building a Sustainable PSAP Culture

Technology is one piece of the puzzle, but agencies also need to invest in the human side of the equation.

• Wellness programs. Progressive PSAPs are expanding access to mental health resources, peer support, and critical incident stress management. Making these programs part of the culture, rather than an afterthought, signals to staff that their well-being matters.
• Modern training approaches. Agencies are experimenting with modular, scenario-based, and even virtual reality training to improve engagement and reduce attrition. Making training feels relevant and manageable can improve completion rates.
• Reclassification and compensation. The movement to reclassify telecommunicators as first responders at the federal level continue to gain momentum. Several states have already taken this step. Proper classification opens the door to better pay, benefits, and professional recognition.
• Flexible scheduling. Where operationally feasible, offering shift flexibility, compressed workweeks, or other scheduling options can improve work-life balance and reduce one of the top reasons new hires leave.

Conclusion

The telecommunicator staffing crisis did not develop overnight, and it will not be resolved overnight. But the combination of modern NG911 technology and thoughtful workplace strategies offer a real path forward.

Agencies that invest in both, giving their people better tools while also addressing the cultural, financial, and emotional dimensions of the work, will be best positioned to build and retain the skilled teams their communities need.

The people behind the headsets are the backbone of emergency response. They deserve systems that support them, not ones that add to the burden.

At NGA, we build NG911 solutions designed to support both the technology and the people who operate it. From intelligent call routing to AI-assisted processing, we help PSAPs deliver better outcomes while reducing the strain on their most important resource: their staff.

Learn more at nga911.com.