Consultants hired to study HEC problems

12:35 PM CST on Monday, December 13, 2004

By Jeremy Desel & Reggie Aqui / 11 News

Click to watch Jeremy Desel's 10pm report

Houston Emergency Center workers are sounding off at City Council Monday. They say they are overworked and understaffed and the public could be at risk.

The multi-million dollar HEC has crashed several times since opening in 2003. Some employees say no one is listening to their concerns.

KHOU-TV

Veteran dispatchers say they're overstaffed and underworked.

One HEC worker told 11 News she's forced to take several prescription drugs to help her cope with all the stress.

She's not alone.

"The system that they have, it's not working correctly," said HEC dispatcher Latrella Thomas. "When we was at 61 Reisner, we always had a backup system that worked perfectly. This system here, once it go down, it go down."

"We're just at our wit's end and we're tired of it," said HPPU Vice President Johnnie McFarland. "So we're here to tell the public safety committee that if something isn't done, the crisis is only going to get worse."

A city spokesperson said a consulting firm will begin studying the personnel and equipment issues this week. That's expected to take about three months.

"In the meantime, we're looking at issues that we can do to resolve some of the ongoing issues that we have in terms of computer systems, problems with hardware and software," said Patrick Trahan with Mayor Bill White's office. "So we're working on two different fronts on the technical end."

Workers say the system crashes, the most recent one just last week, are just part of the problem.

Dispatchers complain working inside the center is more like sweatshop labor with forced overtime -- as long as 16 hour days -- high stress, not being allowed to go the bathroom and a perceived lack of training.

"What am I gonna tell these people that are asking me questions? What am I to do?" asked Monica Holmes. "I don't have the answers for them. To be honest with you, I don't have the answers for them."

When asked if the system could handle a large scale incident, like a terrorist attack, the response was even more troubling.

"We are not prepared, in my opinion. It can go down at any time," said Michele Wesley. "What if the system goes down and we have to resort to writing things down by hand and hand-held radios? You do not want to be in that position."

That's not the only position that worries Holmes. "I'm not trained for bio-chemical warfare at all. I wouldn't know what to tell people to do."

HEC Spokesperson Joe Laud says that more center employees have been hired and are currently training which should help the staffing issues.

But dispatchers aren't sure that is enough so they're asking city council to do something.