It could be the difference between life and death.
Sedgwick County dispatch says it needs bilingual call takers.
The longer the positions sit empty, the longer people in need have to wait.
Right now there are no bilingual call takers or dispatchers in Sedgwick County.
When someone calls for help who does not speak English, they rely on a third party translator service.
There are about 100 of those calls a month in the county.
“When we get the call to 911, we have to we have to get that interpreter onto the line with us,” said Elora Forshee, director of Sedgwick County Emergency Communications.
That is because Sedgwick County Emergency Communications does not have bilingual speakers in house.
“Even if it takes five seconds to get an interpreter on the line, that’s five seconds longer than we’re comfortable taking to get help your way,” said Forshee.
(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)