In some jobs ? nursing, trading stocks, managing restaurants ? the stress is intense enough that burnout and turnover rates are high.

Then there?s working as a Deschutes County 9-1-1 operator.

At the dispatch center on the second floor of the Deschutes County Sheriff?s Office, grappling with trauma and tragedy is a way of life.

Rebekah Park recalled the horror of listening to a mother on a cell phone in Shevlin Park a few years ago watch her son drown.

?She was hysterical ? and there?s nothing you can do. You?re on the phone trying to get people there, to wherever she is, but it?s a large area. The worst part is the waiting time for someone to get there. There?s nothing else you can do,? said the 27-year-old operations supervisor.

The pressure never lets up, said Dave Malkin, who?s been director of Deschutes County 9-1-1 since December 2000.

It?s a frenetic, combustible atmosphere: one where children don?t come home from school, where a husband beats up his wife or child or both, where someone brandishes a 12-gauge shotgun in the back yard and where a baby choking and turning blue can comprise a typical shift.

That combined with the dysfunction that existed at 9-1-1 before Malkin took over, contributed to a yearly turnover rate between 40 percent and 50 percent from 1997 to 2000.

?But last year, none of the (28-member) staff quit,? Malkin said with a smile.

A former chief of police in Bend and two other cities, Malkin assessed the situation at 9-1-1 for a month before he began revamping the system.

Malkin observed an agency that undertrained and overworked its employees, creating the possibility that public and officer safety would be compromised.

For example, he recalled the time an inexperienced dispatcher failed to inform the officer responding to a domestic violence dispute that weapons might be present. That officer consequently assumed the people were unarmed and walked into the house unprepared for a knife-wielding man.

He also discovered that each 9-1-1 console was configured differently, with equipment arbitrarily patched together.

And to cap it off ? although Deschutes County 9-1-1 operators are responsible for taking and dispatching calls for 15 public safety agencies ? their wages range from $11.42 an hour to $16.98 an hour, which are some of the lowest wages in the state, Malkin said.

At the end of 2000, 9-1-1 needed an interim director who could attack the agency?s problems, said Deschutes County Sheriff Les Stiles, the only permanent member of 9-1-1?s advisory board.

?We needed someone to bring some stability,? he said. ?We were looking for someone with proven management skills, solid public safety experience and leadership skills.?

As planned, Malkin is scheduled to leave his post at the end of the year, Stiles said. He will begin a nationwide search for a permanent director in July.

Stiles called the results of Malkin?s tenure as 9-1-1 director, ?Hands down, the most solid I?ve seen in my 15-year association with 9-1-1.?

To remedy the agency?s problems, Malkin:

– Revised job descriptions and created opportunities for advancement.

– Raised wages as of this July 1 to a minimum of $12.54 an hour to a maximum of $19.29 an hour. Malkin paid for the pay increase by eliminating three administrative positions and dipping into agency reserves.

– Recruited candidates who considered 9-1-1 their profession of choice rather than a stepping stone to becoming, for example, a law enforcement officer.

– Recruited candidates with public safety dispatching and call center or public broadcasting experience.

– Tested candidates? abilities in multi-tasking, prioritization, decision-making, memory, data entry and typing.

– Stabilized the operators? weekly schedules by replacing the erratic overtime hours with a set shift of four 12-hour days on followed by four days off.

– Reconfigured the dispatch center?s consoles, making every station consistent.

The improvements have convinced 20-year-old Andrew Zaiser that he?s in the right place. The former radio journalist has worked for Deschutes County 9-1-1 since October. He loves it.

?It?s fun and fast-paced,? Zaiser said. ?And I?m doing something good. The people you help ? the mothers, the fathers ? fortunately outweighs any of the negative effects.?

Although things at 9-1-1 have improved, Malkin and advisory board members say at least one other important task remains. In November, Malkin plans to ask county voters to pay for a data system that links all area agencies. Then, a Bend police officer could retrieve information from the Redmond Fire Department.

Malkin is working with county officials to determine how much the new tax will be.

Property taxes raised about $1.4 million of 9-1-1?s $2.4 million total budget for the current fiscal year, Malkin said. And a statewide telephone user tax raised another $450,000. The rest comes from other sources.

Ron Oliver, chief of Redmond?s Fire Department, is another local official who likes what Malkin has done.

?Morale has improved, operations are far more organized and (Malkin?s) very willing to work with the fire chiefs,? he said. ?He?s very cooperative and helpful. I appreciate what he?s done.?

Mike Cronin can be reached at 541-617-7836 or mcronin@bendbulletin.com