911 call answer times in Colo. Springs are double what they were at beginning of the year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Right now, it takes the average 911 caller 36 seconds before they're connected to an operator in the city of Colorado Springs, according to El Paso and Teller County 911 authority data. The average time has doubled since it was 18 seconds in January.

The time spiked in July, when it took roughly 40 seconds before the average 911 caller would be connected to a call-taker. 

KRDO13 Investigates spoke with mothers who say they waited almost three minutes before even talking to an operator.  

One of those callers is a woman named Haley Treachler, a mom of a 4-year-old with a rare genetic disorder that causes seizures from time to time. In June, her son began to seize for longer than usual, and Treachler realized she didn’t have the correct medication to help him. It was then that she decided to call 911. 

Treachler waited two minutes and fifty seconds before hearing from an operator. 

"My only thought [was] is he going to make it?’” Treachler said. 

Treachler says her 4-year-old son seized for 17 minutes. While Treachler’s circumstances are unique, her story is not. 

Prior to our report, KRDO13 Investigates made two Facebook posts asking about wait times after calling 911.  Hundreds of people commented and messaged us with their own stories about how they allegedly waited for minutes.  One woman said she called 911 and waited on the line as a man was repeatedly banging on her door and she feared he might break-in. Others tell us they were left waiting during potentially life-threatening emergencies or when their children were in dire need of medical care.

Another mom and her friend commented on that post, recounting the experience they had when one of their daughters fell backward down a flight of stairs and then passed out. Delaney Martin, mom of the 2-year-old, and Lauren Waldorf, her friend, decided to call 911. 

They say they waited three and a half minutes before giving up, hanging up, and driving the toddler to the hospital. 

“After like 60 seconds passed and I hadn't been connected with an operator, I moved from like calm to irritated, and then we hit like two minutes, and that kind of turned to anger and we hit three minutes and thought -- they're never picking up,” Waldorf said. 

Statistics 

Haley, Delaney, and Lauren’s stories are part of a larger data trend tracked by the El Paso and Teller County 911 authorities. 

Over the last ten months, the number of 911 calls and texts the call center handles has increased from 22,000 to around 28,000 calls per month, according to El Paso and Teller County data. Call pick-up times have more than doubled. 

The nationally recommended time, from the National Emergency Number Association, is for 90% of callers to get a response in 15 seconds or less. Colorado Springs police say 55% of callers hear from a 911 operator in 15 seconds or less.

Why it’s happening

While call volume is the single most impactful variable in the complex equation of call pick-up times, call center recruitment and retention remain a big problem. 

“The high stress, dealing with life and death situations on a more than daily basis, it's an hourly basis at times,” Richard Suarez, the Public Safety and Communications manager said. “It's hard on [call taker’s] mental and emotional well-being, and a lot of people just don't stay in the profession.”

Suarez has been working in the call center for decades. He’s an unusual example, as many burn out quickly under high stress and lower pay. KRDO13 Investigates asked him about Lauren, Delaney, and Haley’s stories. 

"It makes me wish we could answer the phone on the first ring,” Suarez said.  “But the thing to keep in mind is the reason why we're not answering that is because we're addressing the other emergencies going on across the city. In a city our size, emergencies are going on all the time."

Suarez also noted that the full call center “authorized staffing” (which is the number of people the city allows them to employ) is 114 people, including call takers, dispatchers, and management. He says the last time they were fully staffed was during the recession. 

What to do 

CSPD says to only call 911 when someone’s life is in danger, to report a fire, or when there is an ongoing crime. Suarez brought up multiple examples of Colorado Springs residents calling 911 when they were afraid of a spider or weren’t sure what time it was. 

CSPD also says to stay on the line when you call 911, because the call taker will otherwise have to track you down again to ensure your safety, which can take time. 

Other counties 

Other counties and call centers remain below the national standard for call center times to pick up the phone. 

• Teller County: 2.14 seconds** 
• Pueblo County: 3 seconds*
• El Paso County: average answer time is 8.3 seconds**

*as of Sept. 2024

**as of Oct. 2024 

What you can do:

Apply to work as a call taker or dispatcher here, and follow the tips above to ensure you're helping Call Takers and Dispatchers do their job.