Derrick Walker is stepping in as director of the Durango-La Plata Emergency Communications Center – and he says he has the servant’s heart, “workaholic” mindset and know-how to bring the center up to speed.
Walker, who has worked in emergency communications for more than 15 years, is the center’s third director in the past year. He is arriving on the job with two main assignments: address the center’s staffing turnover and upgrade its technology, according to the city of Durango.
“I’m excited to get there. I’ll do a fantastic job for the community,” Walker said last week in phone interview while taking a break from packing his U-Haul for the move from North Dakota to Durango. “I’m a bit of a workaholic, so I’ll do a great job.”
Walker left his position as executive director of the Upper Missouri River Regional Dispatch Center in Williston, North Dakota, to join the Durango-La Plata County team. He replaces interim director Zeta Fail, who joined the center after former interim director Susanne Meyers retired in January.
Walker was one of four semifinalists and two finalists considered for the position, said José Madrigal, Durango city manager.
Walker was vetted by city of Durango staff members, including Madrigal and the 911 center’s staff members; and representatives from La Plata County, local law enforcement and the Durango Fire Protection District, Madrigal said.
“They were all unanimous with Derrick. They were very supportive and said that was a hire we needed to make,” Madrigal said. “They liked his technical expertise. That really pushed him over with all of them.”
In North Dakota, Walker was the mayor and chief executive officer of the city of Linton and worked for the state’s department of information technology as the public safety programs manager.
He helped upgrade the entire state’s 911 system, then led Williston to be the first dispatch center to adopt the new system.
Under his tenure, the dispatch center built a new backup emergency communications center with new equipment and a new primary center.
“That’s an EF3 tornado-hardened facility that’s being built from the ground up,” he said, referring to tornadoes with wind speeds of up to 165 mph.
Before his time in North Dakota, Walker held emergency communications leadership positions around Texas and Alabama and at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
At one point, Walker became a deputy sheriff and a volunteer firefighter while working in 911 communications. He wanted to get a better understanding of exactly what first responders were dealing with, he said.
“I’ve got a servant’s heart,” Walker said. “I find a great deal of satisfaction that, at the end of the day, we’ve helped people in their most troubling times.”
It’s in his family’s nature, he said. His father was in law enforcement for 32 years, two of his cousins are in law enforcement and his son works as a firefighter at an airport in North Dakota.
Growing up, he saw his father’s method of community policing and focus on helping people. He knew everyone in the community and was on good terms with all of them, Walker said.
“That’s what drove me into public service,” he said.
Emergency communications is a difficult, high-stress job, Walker said. Emergency dispatchers handle everything from stabilizing patients, transmitting treatment information to emergency responders and ensuring callers are not in harm’s way.
“It’s hard to attract and retain people who can multitask and handle the stressors related to the job,” said Fail, Walker’s predecessor.
According to Fail’s assessment, the center needs four additional dispatchers to keep up with the workload.
The center has 11 dispatcher positions. Of those, one position is vacant, and three people are in training, said Durango Police Chief Bob Brammer.
Walker said he’ll start by getting a better idea of staffing at the center. In North Dakota, he addressed staffing concerns by making working schedules more favorable and emphasizing training opportunities.
“Upon my arrival in North Dakota, (the center) had a turnover rate of 70%,” Walker said. “We’re down to close to 0%. We’ve had virtually no turnover in about a year and a half now.”
Walker started his new position Thursday. His top priority is observing operations and making an initial needs assessment. That includes reviewing the condition of the center’s equipment and technology along with the policies and procedures for staff members, he said.
“I always work from my own assessment,” Walker said. “I’ve been known to find a lot of areas – both in the use of technology and best practices in dispatch centers – where efficiencies can be made to advance the level of service to the general public and first responders out of the dispatch center.”
He also plans to start building a five-year plan for the center. The first year will include a detailed outline with broader goals and milestones identified for the next four years.
The goal, he said, is to make sure everyone is on the same page, foster relationships with the community, and meet modern guidelines and best practices as necessary.
“Any success I’ve had in my career has been through partnership with the local community,” Walker said. “Everyone has to work as a cohesive team. That’s what I’m excited about: understanding the community and how everyone works together.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
