Sound of silence

It has been nearly two months since Columbus Fire Chief Rich Cowger sent an official complaint letter to Stillwater County Sheriff Cliff Brophy regarding a dispatcher’s failure to immediately send a deputy to check on a woman who eventually was hit and killed by a vehicle on Highway 10.
Cowger is still waiting on a reply.
The 3-page complaint letter followed two fatal incidents involving the same dispatcher during the same week in March. It was sent to several government entities on March 29. The News became aware of the complaint earlier this week and filed a Freedom of Information request with Cowger and the Stillwater County Commissioners, who each supplied the News with the document.
The letter expressed frustrations with what Cowger called a “system as a whole and the lack of oversight, proper training and personal accountability” that extended beyond the March incidents.
An internal investigation was conducted by Brophy into both March incidents and the dispatcher has since returned to work.
Brophy told the News last week that while Cowger’s letter did raise some “very serious factors,” responding to it is not one of his top priorities for two reasons:
1. The serious issues raised in the letter were and are already being looked into.
2. Two matters of pressing business are demanding his attention.

BACKGROUND
Two incidents involving fatalities and questions about the response time of the dispatcher on those calls occurred the week of March 21.
The first was on March 21 involving an accident at 2:42 a.m. on I-90 in which a woman was killed, one man was seriously injured and a second man was also injured. The crash was reported by two 911 callers. MHP was contacted and sent a trooper out of Billings who arrived on scene about the same time Columbus Fire Rescue did, which was approximately 3:25 p.m., according to dispatch records.
An internal investigation conducted by Brophy determined the dispatcher had followed proper protocol.
The second incident occurred March 24 when the dispatcher received three different notifications from three different people of an elderly woman in need of help in the area of Highway 10. The dispatcher took more than an hour to send a deputy and by that time, Marian Maltsberger had been hit and killed.
That internal investigation revealed the dispatcher had failed to follow policy.
The specific policy she violated falls under “Dispatching” listed on a 12-page Public Safety Answering Point policy, which reads as follows:
1. Communications Officers shall dispatch the appropriate agency as soon as reasonably possible. If the appropriate agency cannot be dispatched within a reasonable time, then the reason shall be documented on that CFS (call for service).
a. The top four priority calls as defined in B(3) should have someone dispatched within two minutes.
b. All other calls should be dispatched within 10 minutes.
Those top four priority calls are as follows, according to policy:
•Emergency service providers in life threatening situations have first priority.
•All other life threatening situations have second priority.
•Situations that could result in personal injury have third priority.
•Situations that are in progress and had just occurred and could result in loss of property have fourth priority.

CONSEQUENCE
Brophy said that because the dispatcher had not completed all her training, her discipline was limited. In addition to being placed on administrative leave with pay during the investigation, she was required to undergo remedial training before returning to work. The dispatcher returned to work about two weeks ago.
The rest of the dispatchers have been told they must give calls to the appropriate agency and they must act.
“When you receive a call, you have to send someone,” said Brophy.

TRAINING ISSUES
There is currently only one dispatcher who has more than a year’s experience. Two weeks ago, a full-timer left, leaving dispatch down one full-time and two part-time positions.
A dispatch supervisor position has been in existence for less than a year. Brophy said the dispatch supervisor has yet to go to any supervisor training due to time constraints, as it is a 20-hour a week position, said Brophy.
Additionally, with the exception of the veteran dispatcher, none of the dispatchers have been to the Dispatch Academy, which they are required to complete within their first year. Brophy said he will have to ask the state for extensions due to the understaffing issues.
The situation began to develop a handful of years ago through the retirements of multiple experienced dispatchers, said Brophy.
Most recently, more departures coupled with a lack of qualified applicants compounded the problem. With some help from the Stillwater County Commissioners, the wage was bumped up to approximately $13 per hour which did help somewhat, said Brophy.

SHERIFF’S CURRENT PRIORITES
Brophy said his current priorities are the 911 Emergency Notification System and the DUI Task Force plan which must be completed by June 1.
The Emergency Notification System calls residents in times of emergency such as wildfires, escapees, etc., and it expired in April.
Brophy did say he does plan on responding to Cowger’s letter.

A VICTIM REMEMBERED
Marian Maltsberger knew a thing or two about tough times.
She lost her first husband to the United States Air Force in a line of duty accident in 1953, leaving her to raise two small boys alone. She worked two and sometimes three jobs to provide for the family of three.
Once her boys were grown and married, Maltsberger found love again. And for four decades, she lived in Nye where she and her new love formed the Midnite Canyon Ranch. In 2012, Maltsberger lost her second husband on their 40th anniversary. She moved to Columbus to be closer to her boys. And as her family phrased it in her obituary, on March 24, Maltsberger “went on her last walk among us.”