Du-comm is hush hush about stuff they do, so you just have to keep your ears open. Lot more changes are coming as centralized dispatch centers are cheaper operational wise. Dollars and sense, not so much direct access any more to the physical dispatchers. So, second in delays, or no direct connection to the dispatcher. See example
You dial 911, goes to the localized answering point-
they answer and based on streets you give them they maybe the immediate contact or the secondary contact.
Hopefully, its the immediate contact or point of answer
Then you get this
-Call Taker
-Entry Ticket
-Ticket to Dispatcher
-Dispatcher to respective agency-fd/pd/pw etc
Old way-
You call 911
Goes to the point of localized area of coverage for 911
Transferred or its the immediate point of contact
Then you get to talk with the dispatcher, the dispatcher creates a ticket as they talk to you and then they dispatch it. Usually staff to handle one agency as oppose to multiple agencies.
Du-comm, Nwcds, Swcds, Wescom etc utilizes several dispatchers who handle multiple towns and dispatch for fire / police, thus reducing the cost of just having one dispatcher for one town resulting in lower costs to the communities served. So, instead of having lets say 10 dispatchers for fire and another 10 for police use they have about 12 for police and fire. Thus, resulting in lower operating costs and staff premiums for insurance etc. Not all that different then thinking of public safety town concept like Rosemont, Glencoe where firefighters are police officers and police officers are firefighters. The thought process is it reduces costs operationally wise, theoretically. The word is still out on this concept.
The sad part is because of this, people are losing their jobs / careers in the long run. Know, you asked who staffs the police station if their are no dispatchers. The answer is simple, community service officers or desk officers who make a third less by hour then dispatchers or who can be hired as pt and have no benefits by law.
This is no way in reflection on how all departments operate by any means, this is more for informational purposes. So, read it carefully and wisely.