Otter Tail County seeks E-911 dispatchers amid public safety staffing needs

Otter Tail County is looking for full-time and part-time E-911 dispatchers at a moment when every open console can affect how quickly police, fire crews, ambulances and rescue teams get moving. The county posted the Communications Officer/E-911 Dispatcher opening on April 28 and is building an eligibility list for current and future openings, with applications due May 13 at 4:30 p.m.

The job goes well beyond answering phones. Dispatchers handle emergency 911 calls and routine law-enforcement calls, gather details about what is happening, send out police, fire, rescue and ambulance units, prioritize calls by urgency and stay on the line with callers during dangerous or unfolding emergencies. Otter Tail County says applicants need strong communication skills and an affinity for technology, and the county says it offers a competitive wage and benefit package. Qualified veterans and certain spouses may receive veterans’ preference points under Minnesota law.

The center behind that work sits in Fergus Falls at the Law Enforcement Center and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Otter Tail County Dispatch handles emergency and non-emergency calls for the sheriff’s office, eight police departments, eight ambulance services and 28 fire and rescue departments across the county. In practical terms, that means one staffing gap can ripple across a wide stretch of the county, from busy city streets to rural roads where every minute can matter.

The hiring push comes as Minnesota continues to wrestle with dispatcher shortages. In 2023, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said staffing shortages were increasing workload and stress for 911 telecommunicators, and it launched a recruitment campaign with the Minnesota Sheriffs Association to help fill dispatch jobs. Otter Tail County’s opening fits that broader statewide need, but the local impact is immediate: the county needs people who can keep pace with simultaneous calls, calm frightened callers and coordinate a fast response for crews already spread across a large service area.

For residents who know someone with the composure, communication skills and technical comfort for the job, the opening represents both a public safety need and a local workforce opportunity. The people who answer 911 in Fergus Falls are often the first link in the chain from crisis to care, and county leaders are trying to keep that link staffed around the clock.