TUCSON 9-1-1

This memoir examines the alleged failings of an Arizona emergency center, specifically involving a tragic death.

As a veteran Public Safety Answering Point operator, author LaFond was no stranger to “overflowing” 911 calls. He became invested in gathering staffing data to enter into a calculation similar to the Erlang-C formula, which is used to calculate wait times at a call center, that other call centers were already using. Not every supervisor, however, was keen on his idea. The Tucson center had its share of problems, many of which, the author contends, stemmed from upper management’s “cost-cutting crusade.” For example, management planned to use Automatic Call Distributor software, which was supposed to help with the wait times of 911 calls and justify eliminating certain positions, a problem since, as LaFond told his superiors, they were already grossly understaffed. When the ACD was implemented, despite LaFond’s objections, there were numerous glitches and dropped calls. These may have contributed to a botched 911 response, which involved the death of 10-year-old girl. This lengthy memoir, originally written in 2012, is overstuffed with details, covering everything from changing superintendents to LaFond’s role in a local union, both as vice president and later a steward. Much of the information seems extraneous, like the plethora of email correspondence between LaFond and others. This businesslike approach, however, ultimately succeeds, and the work reads like an unfiltered report. For example, there’s no definitive reason for the tragic death; several factors, including human error, played a part. While LaFond asserts he fought for public safety, his battles primarily involved protecting employees’ rights. Still, the “moral energy” that fueled him is believable; he only wanted the best for the Tucson center, even when he was no longer working there.

An eye-opening, true-life account of the inner workings of an understaffed critical public resource.