911 Center operates with new administrator
A long-time public safety leader and paramedic from Wisconsin has settled into the role of 911 administrator for Rice-Steele 911 Center in Owatonna.
Brian Becker joined the local emergency communications center in February after living in Wisconsin for most of his life. He replaces Jill Bondhus, who left the center in late 2022 to take on a 911 operations coordinator position with the State of Minnesota. She had been with the center for 22 years and served the last seven as administrator.
Though the Rice-Steele center is substantially smaller than what he is used to, Becker is looking forward to the rural atmosphere that southern Minnesota offers. He previously worked as assistant director for Rock County Communications Center in Janesville, Wis. Rock County’s population is about 165,000 and smacked in between two larger counties totaling 900,000.
“I was looking for a smaller center and wanted to be in a more rural environment,” said Becker, who grew up on a farm near Sheboygan, Wis. “This will be more enjoyable than the urban area.”
Rice-Steele operates with 18 telecommunicators, formerly known as dispatchers, and three supervisors. The center handles about 180,000 emergency and non-emergency calls every year and dispatches police, fire and EMS. The center, which is currently based in the Law Enforcement Center in Owatonna, has been a joint effort for 23 years. It operates under a joint powers board consisting of officials from both counties.
Becker has several challenges ahead of him as he takes on the top position. The center is currently down five telecommunicators, though one will be starting within the next few weeks. Because there are minimum staffing requirements, the center has been forced to fill shifts with overtime as well as utilizing supervisors to handle dispatch duties. It will be important for the center to get fully staffed in an effort to avoid burnout of current staff, he said.
Since Becker came on board, he has made some changes to the center’s hiring process. He is also making an effort to get out into the community more not only for recruitment purposes, but also as an education piece to let citizens know more about the 911 emergency system.
Another big challenge ahead is deciding the future of the center. Since 2000, the center has been located on the second floor of the LEC.
“We have no more room to grow,” Becker said, noting they need to identify options to expand the center. “There are some unknowns right now,” he said.
Part of the solution may have come last month when Steele County decided to move the sheriff’s office from the LEC to the Detention Center. Owatonna Police is also located in the LEC.
Discussions will begin in earnest in the coming weeks about the dispatch center’s future. Becker expects a decision to be made by the end of the year.
Becker is a huge proponent of mental health for his employees. Sadly, he came from a center in which a co-worker died by suicide because of the stresses involved with public safety work.
“Mental health is high on my radar,” Becker says. Telecommunicators, he said, need to have a “check up from the neck up with a psychologist once a year.” He added an effective mental health program will be especially important for newer employees not used to the traumatic situations they may face.
“It’s a stressful job, and it’s not for everyone.”
He is also concerned about providing quality training for employees to rise up to the new challenges that lie ahead. Becker hopes to involve staff members in creating goals for their training program.
Becker began his career in public safety as a paramedic in the Milwaukee area. While serving as a paramedic, Becker routinely stopped in the dispatch center where he developed a fondness for dispatching 911 communications.
“It intrigued me to see the inner workings of it,” Becker said. “I really enjoy the technology side of it and the fast pace of it.”