The threat of major schedule changes this winter from day shifts to nights or weekends prompted a couple dozen Baltimore County 911 call center employees to protest Monday night outside county headquarters in Towson. But the shift change has already caused 25 senior 911 call takers to leave. The county is filling some of those spots with firefighters and police officers.
"Police officers are being taken off the streets. Firefighters are being pulled off the street," said John Ripley, president of the Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees. "It's wrong and it's a formula for disaster."
Disasters and distress were daily occurrences for Gayle Hendrix.
"I've talked a guy that was holding someone hostage to give up," Hendrix said.
For decades, Hendrix was a Baltimore County 911 call taker. The retiree is standing with the active call-takers who are protesting a county decision to soon change their schedules from permanent 8-hour shifts to rotating ones, which could include nights, overnights or weekends.
"We've had people in there for 26, 27 years that fought hard to get on a particular shift," Hendrix said. "So where does seniority come into play."
The county said the schedule shift is needed because there are too many experienced call-takers on the day shift and too many inexperienced ones on the less-desirable shifts.