New Oklahoma Co. 911 Call Center To Offer Opportunities For Metro Tech Students

The person who answers a 911 call sends us the help we need. Dispatcher jobs are hard to fill. However, a new partnership with Metro Tech could help fill this critical role.  

“It takes a certain kind of person to be a dispatcher,” said Deputy Aaron Brilbeck with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. 

Help can’t arrive if they don't know where to go.  

“They are the true first responders,” Brilbeck said.   

When life hangs in the balance, dispatchers' communication starts the clock. 

“Dispatchers are kinda the unsung hero,” Brilbeck said. 

Brilbeck understands the responsibility and the sacrifice required. Stress from the job produces a lot of turnover. 

“That could cost somebody their life if you make the wrong decision,” Brilbeck said. “It takes a toll on you mentally, it takes a toll on you emotionally, it takes a toll on you physically.”  

Oklahoma County dispatchers are desperately needed.

“Let’s combine our partnership and our resources together,” said Aaron Collins, the superintendent of Metro Tech. “Everyone wins.”  

Voters approved a bond a few years ago that allowed Metro Tech to build a new space on its South Bryant campus.  

“This is incredible,” Brilbeck said. 

One of the goals is to connect Metro Tech Students to the dispatching career and they’ll be learning right down the hall from the new 911 call center. Collins said they will improve public safety with a new solid foundation.  

“We want to continue to be a city that people are moving to,” Collins said. 

This new call center will be full of people who get help to the right place at the right time. 

The new 911 call center will open in November. Brilbeck said the transition will not impact 911 services throughout the county.