Officials in Fort Worth are putting up a “help wanted” sign. They are looking to hire an administrator to run their 911 system after moving to transfer it out from under MedStar.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, MedStar has provided emergency and non-emergency ambulance services for 15 Tarrant County cities since 1986. According to MedStar, the ambulance serves over 436 square miles, over 1.1 million residents, and responds to over 200,000 calls annually.
In May, the Fort Worth City Council voted to direct the Fort Worth Fire Department to take over various aspects of the company’s first responder services, including its 911 communications operations.
Here’s some of what the Fort Worth Report published on the hunt for a new professional to head up that dimension of services:
Fort Worth is searching for its first 911 communications administrator.
The administrator will have a tall task ahead of them. Fort Worth is transitioning EMS services from MedStar to its fire department, and MedStar dispatch employees will transfer over to continue providing dispatch services alongside fire personnel. The administrator is set to lead that transition and help shape the city’s 911 system overall.
“There’s a lot of up in the air. But I think that this person will help us really hone in and address some of the transfers and call issues that we’ve been having” with dispatch, Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington said.
The salary range for the 911 communications administrator is $160,000 to $185,000. They will report to an assistant city manager alongside the chief of police and fire chief, acting in a coordinating role.
The position has been in the wings for some time. At an April meeting, Mayor Mattie Parker lamented the fact that money was set aside in the 2024 budget to hire the administrator, only to go unspent.
“I think the city has really dropped the ball in moving with a sense of urgency around this so I just want us to pick that up,” Parker said at the time.