Big Island police, fire dispatchers moving out of ‘dungeon’ and into new emergency call center

After four years of construction, police and fire department dispatchers will finally move out of the “dungeon” and into the new, 17,127-square-foot Hawaiʻi County Emergency Call Center in Hilo.

The new facility on Mohouli Street will operate as a unified call center. It will improve emergency response capabilities and provide space for growth for both agencies.

“After decades of planning, we now have a state-of-the-art facility where our police and fire dispatchers can work side by side,” Mayor Kimo Alameda said on Monday. “This new Emergency Call Center represents a major investment in public safety and, importantly, supports the essential around-the-clock work of these dedicated professionals.”

A blessing for the new building was held on Monday to coincide with National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Beginning in late 2021, Hensel Phelps Construction built the $31 million facility that is designed to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. The emergency call center also features a conference room, briefing room, training room, offices, cafeteria, workout room, locker room, bathrooms and showers.

Every shift will have seven police dispatchers and two fire dispatchers working in one communication center. The large desks are equipped with drawers and storage space as well as seven computer monitors with updated technology and communication systems.

The new facility was built with an eye toward future growth and can comfortably fit 13 police communications consoles and nine fire communications consoles.

After spending 20 years in the small communication center at the police station, Jason O’Brien, supervising police communication officer with Hawaiʻi Police Dispatch, is ready for more organized chaos that will be better for answering calls.

“We spend a lot of time together and it’s usually been right on top of each other, which can be stressful especially with staffing shortages,” O’Brien said. “This space is really going to help us. And, hopefully, we will be getting more people trained, so we have less people working 16 to 20 hours shifts.”

There are currently two people in training to be dispatchers, and the Hawaiʻi County Department of Human Resources is continuously recruiting applicants for police communications officers.

“Training can take up to a year to complete in full, so not everyone always makes it through,” O’Brien said. “We try to be very open and honest about what they’ll experience as a dispatcher.”

He added: “It’s not just a job – you have to care about the community and each other. You have to be okay with working more; and sometimes it’s all about getting through one shift at a time.”

According to Hawaiʻi Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz, this October will mark 50 years since the current police headquarters on Kapiʻolani Street in Hilo opened, which includes the dispatch center. The new facility has been much anticipated, and plans have been in the works since the early 2000s.

Before the layout was completed, police and fire dispatch personnel were able to provide input into the final design of the facility’s layout. Original plans called for separate walled-off areas for police and fire personnel. However, after working in the same room with each other since May 2023, when the fire dispatchers had to move from the Central Fire Station that was in need of significant repair.

Police and fire dispatchers said they wanted to be integrated into one operational area in the new facility.

“It was a wonderful development because their suggestions were able to be incorporated into the final design, making it truly theirs based on their experience and needs,” Moszkowicz said.

Fire Chief Kazuo Todd is optimistic that the permanent joining of the dispatch centers will lead to a more robust 911 system and long-term solutions.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to see this come to fruition,” Todd said. “The combined police and fire dispatch center has been a long time coming, and I am just glad to be able to see it actually completed. I’m looking forward to the future for our departments working together in service of the public and making the best possible outcome happen whenever we can.”

Dispatchers often perform call-taking and dispatching simultaneously when call volume exceeds staffing levels and must communicate clearly, calmly and efficiently while simultaneously using a computer, telephone and various law enforcement databases.

O’Brien said cross-training the fire and police dispatchers to handle all types of 911 calls would help both departments with call volume. The only difference in training is that fire dispatchers are required to take the three-day Emergency Medical Dispatching course.

Police dispatch trainer Michelle Shiroma has been working as a police dispatcher for 24 years and believes that moving to a more open, bigger space will help them all work at a job that is stressful and often difficult. She called the current location the “dungeon.”

“This is a brand new home for us, and we’re all truly so excited. I can actually get lost within the center,” Shiroma said. “There are full shower facilities and a quiet room for people to relax in during lunch break, which is especially needed when days are long, or more difficult than others.”

In March, Shiroma received a rare honor from the Hawaiʻi Fire Department when she was given the prestigious Coin of Life for her exemplary performance that led to the saving of a life at Kahaluʻu Beach on Feb. 25.

“No one is calling 911 when they are having a bad day,” Todd said. “Dispatchers are listening to people have the worst day of their life and talking to them calmly until police or fire arrive at the scene. It is a stressful job that saves lives.”

According to the Hawaiʻi Police Department, dispatchers must become proficient in operating a specialized workstation comprised of a 911 telephone system, departmental telephone system, and geographical mapping system to answer, triage and process 911 voice and text calls from the public for emergency and non-emergency police assistance.

Some other duties include:

• Coordinating responses
• Prioritizing cases correctly
• Using knowledge of police jurisdictions and geography of the island of Hawaiʻi
• Watching traffic cameras
• Maintaining control of the conversations
• Communicating with deaf and speech impaired callers and non-English speaking callers
• Interacting with callers who may be injured, distressed, emotional or belligerent
• Making sound decisions during life-threatening situations

For more information on the new Emergency Call Center in Hilo, or on becoming a Communications Officer/Dispatcher, visit the Hawaiʻi Police Department website.