The Pike County E911 Board has hired a new assistant director to prepare for the busy months ahead as a new computer-aided dispatch comes online.

Chelsea Rasberry, a Troy University graduate and Chilton County native, has accepted the position as assistant director for the E911 board. Chris Dozier, director, said the decision to add staff came after realizing the need for a backup director capable of doing everything Dozier does.

“She will be able handle all the systems being used including the 911 phone system, the CAD (computer-aided dispatch) system and the map system,” Dozier said. “She be responsible for making sure the mapping is correct, paying the bills and handling all of those budgeting issues. She’ll also be responsible for handling everything with board meetings including the minutes, agendas, getting all the items together and information together that we would present to the board.”

With a task list a mile long, Rasberry said she knew what was expected of her and her history of working three jobs at one time would come in handy.

“I realized it was going to be a lot with all of the responsibilities,” she said. “I’m ecstatic I was working three jobs when I applied for this one, and that was dismal. I’m getting into more of my future and starting a career for myself so I’m excited about that.”

Rasberry has been training for the job for approximately three weeks, and Dozier said he was pleased in the amount of effort she has put in for the job.

“She’s doing an excellent job so far,” Dozier said. “She’s a quick learner. She’s picking up on everything that we’ve gone over so far and we’ve still got a lot to go. But, we’re looking forward to the future. It’s been a lot better for me since she’s come a board.”

Dozier said the decision to bring an assistant director on board also him to handle more of the behind-the-scenes requirements for the E911 board.

“These projects are getting so in-depth now it’s hard to handle the day to day stuff on top of it all,” Dozier said. “We definitely want people to be able to get a hold of us when they need us, and having her around is an easy way for us to do that..”

With more help, Dozier said the board now has a few more goals in mind for how the community sees and deals with E911.

“Some of the things I want to see us do now that we have more hands on deck are getting into the schools and getting a little more involved with the police department and fire department,” Dozier said. “We want to be able to go over to the schools and teach them the things that they need to know now and cover what all E911 does for them. Those are things you can teach and teach early on.”