The City of Astoria has reached the end of the agreement for the combined dispatch center between the City of Astoria and the City of Seaside. Astoria dispatchers will be resuming operation from the Astoria Emergency Communications Center effective at 6:00 AM on Monday May 9th. The combined dispatch merger between Astoria and Seaside went into effect in November of 2021 with the goal of increasing staffing numbers for Astoria. While some progress was made, it will take a few more months to realize the desired minimum number of staff for full operations. In the meantime, Seaside has agreed to temporarily assign a certified dispatcher to Astoria on a full-time basis until a trainee nearing completion, is released to full status. Astoria Emergency Communications Center will continue hiring efforts and still needs to hire and train 5 additional staff to meet the center’s authorized staffing.
“As we continue to address our staffing needs, our main priority continues to be to answering emergency 911 calls and managing our emergency responders in the field” said Interim Police Chief Eric Halverson. “In circumstances where our dispatchers are handling those types of calls, there may be delays in the length of time it takes for us to answer non-emergency lines. We would request the public’s patience if that is the case”, he said.