911 Call Centers Are Struggling. We Visited One to Find Out Why.

911 Call Centers Are Struggling. We Visited One to Find Out Why.

COTTONWOOD, Ariz.—Kelsey Jacobs answers each call not knowing who will be on the line or what crisis awaits. It could be someone having a heart attack, a suicidal person, a vehicle rollover, a drug overdose, or just an accidental call. A 911 dispatcher at the Cottonwood Regional Communications Center, Jacobs, 31, said that the job is naturally stressful and that for dispatchers who struggle to cope, burnout is “a huge factor.” “What keeps me her…