LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The night of January 30th was dark and rainy— and one that would change Ellen Dickins' life.
It was a night where she'd swerve to save her life, and make a call to try and save another.
"We found the man totally unresponsive, and dialed 911 immediately," Dickins said. "We didn't anticipate that we would have so much trouble getting help."
Dickins explained that she was driving on Rodney Parham when a car crossed the center line, narrowly missing her head-on, and hitting the driver behind her.
She then pulled over to check on everyone involved and found that the first driver was not moving, and immediately called 911.
Though she was expecting them to answer quickly— that wouldn't be the case.
"It rang so many times that we gave up and we flagged down somebody who had OnStar," she said. "Because of that, they were able to get the first responders here."
The driver who hit the car behind Dickins wouldn't survive.
"I know there are mistakes everywhere, but 911 can't afford that," Dickins said. "Cause people's lives are on the line."
As frustrated as she has been that her 911 call went unanswered, Dickins expressed that she isn't upset at dispatchers.
She's upset with the system, which she says has several problems.
Director of the Little Rock 911 Dispatch Center, Juana Green, will be the first to tell you— that when she took over in October 2021, the issues were easy to spot.
"I'm saying this as nicely as I can, they just didn't know what they didn't know," Green said.
Things like staffing shortages and pay issues have been some of the larger challenges, but possibly the biggest issue has been the delay in pickup times.
"They've always been told to answer the phone in three rings, well, that's not the national standard," Green said. "You know, we want to answer 95% of our calls in 20 seconds or less."
Green explained that the dispatch center hasn't gotten to that level since she's been there, but they've been making strides to fix that.
"They were still like 60-something percent," she said. "So for the standard to change to 95, and we have improved into 70, nearly 80%, I mean, that's growth."
Green shared that there are ways to fix pickup times, which include hiring more employees. Currently, the center is understaffed by nearly 50%.
"So we have a total of 35, and authorized for 65," Green said. "So we're down 30."
Though help is on the way, seven people are currently in training to become dispatchers.
Green will point to a key issue in filling those open jobs— which is that a dispatcher's job isn't easy. It can be stressful, but changing the work environment could help.
"Hearing difficult situations over the phone can be mentally affecting," Green said. "As we change the environment of the workplace, it'll make it easier for us to retain the folks we have, as well as get new folks."
Along with that, new technology can help, too. An upgraded software system is on the way, and that will make answering calls much quicker.
Currently, dispatchers have to manually connect to the call. The new system would automatically connect a caller to the headset of the first available dispatcher.
"You'll hear the open line, and the call taker will just proceed with the greeting," Green said. "'City of Little Rock, 911, what's the location of your emergency?'"
Quick communication is key, because when every second counts, there can't be delays. Green said she understands the frustration, and they've been actively working on it.
"We are doing our part," Green said. "We are aware of the issues, and we are doing our part to rectify all of those issues."
While Dickins explained that she isn't mad at dispatchers, but she wants to see change for the better.
"It gives me hope that other people will not have to go through this. It's a horrendous thing to have to go through," Dickins said. "I can't imagine going through it with one of my children or my grandchildren, or one of my friends, and the hope is that something is being done."
Green explained that those upgrades should be installed by the summer.