The Daily Citizen
CHATSWORTH, Tenn. — Two Murray County 911 dispatchers who were warned in February about falling asleep on duty did just that in the last month, resulting in one being fired and another resigning before being terminated, officials said.
A woman identified as Zerita Duncan by Interim Sole Commissioner Tom Starnes was given a written warning about sleeping on duty on Feb. 16, said Murray 911 Director Peggy Vick. She was caught sleeping again on the weekend of March 25-27 and was “suspended pending termination” on March 30 for three days before being fired on April 2, Vick said.
An in-house video reviewed by Vick showed Duncan “dozed periodically” on one night of her weekend shift in late March. A phone number listed for Duncan in a phone directory was incorrect.
Another employee was given a written warning for sleeping on duty on Feb. 17. The dispatcher, who resigned before being terminated, according to Vick, fell asleep again on the weekend of April 8-10 and was placed on three days of suspension on April 11 pending termination. In both cases, the three-day suspensions were with pay, Vick said.
Starnes would not provide the name of the person who resigned, saying a reporter would have to ask her why she resigned. Vick referred questions about names to the county personnel department, now under Starnes’ leadership.
The woman who resigned was turned in by a fellow dispatcher. She “missed radio traffic” between an EMS unit and the 911 center, Vick said, but did not miss an emergency call into the center from a county resident.
Vick said on Monday dispatchers receive one warning for sleeping on their shift and if caught again are automatically terminated after a three-day suspension. She said four dispatchers have specific assignments on each shift: the Chatsworth Police Department, Murray County Sheriff’s Office, city and county fire departments and EMS, and one to “pick up the slack” if the lines get busy.
Assistant Director Jennifer Clayton said sleeping on duty is “absolutely prohibited.”
“They have to be ready to take calls from the public or handle radio traffic,” she said. “We can’t tolerate sleeping on duty. That’s endangering citizens and the public’s safety, and not only that, it’s a huge liability to the county.”
Clayton said operators can “get up” from their station for five minutes out of every 30, or 10 minutes out of every hour. To take a bathroom break they have to let other dispatchers know they’re temporarily leaving their post, she said. Clayton said using a cellphone while on duty results in an automatic suspension.
The employee who resigned was asleep “quite awhile,” said Clayton.
“We have high expectations for individuals serving in critical public safety positions, and we will continue to do what’s appropriate to keep those expectations up to standards,” Starnes said.
Reprinted with permission from the Daily Citizen.