Dispatchers: Often heard, seldom seen
911 what’s your emergency? This is a question that dispatchers ask on almost a daily basis, and some days multiple times per shift.
The caller usually has no idea of the experience, training and professionalism of the person answering that call, but what matters most to them when they call 911 is having their call answered by a caring and helpful person who can bring some sort of calm to almost any emergency, and that they are reassured help will be coming. .I have heard it said, it is all about finding the calm in the chaos, and that is exactly what the dispatcher does each and every time.
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is April 12-18, 2020. Your hardworking dispatchers at the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office serve as a vital link between our community and fire, medical, and law enforcement agencies. Acting as a critical lifeline to other first responders, these unsung everyday heroes are always there to answer the call — often heard, seldom seen.
When something happens, it is usually the faces of a firefighter, paramedic, police officer or sheriff’s deputy that you see responding, while the dispatchers are behind the scenes taking the calls and sending the appropriate first responders. The Sheriff’s Office is home to Dispatch for all of the first responders in Boundary County — whether it is the call of an in-progress crime, accident, fire or lost person and everything in between, they are the calming voice that takes the emergency call, reassuring the caller that help will be on its way and sending the appropriate response.
Being a dispatcher is a profession, not a job. It takes the right individual who can handle stressful calls, manage multiple phone lines, and obtain accurate information to relay to first responders. They are often the first to diffuse a situation before law enforcement is even on-scene, and the calming voice that is needed when someone calls 911 in a panic.
To be a dispatcher they must attend an academy and become certified, along with special trainings and certifications in emergency medical dispatching (EMD) and CPR. Even with the training it takes a special person to be a dispatcher, and I am thankful that the team we have working for Boundary County are exceptional at all of the tasks necessary — but what really stands out is the concern they have for always doing what is right, not what is easy. Law enforcement depends on them, they are our lifeline, and they don’t let us down.
Imagine talking to someone on the phone while you have other phone lines ringing, radio traffic also calling for your attention, are still gathering important information from the person on the phone and are dispatching medical, fire and law enforcement — all at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking; they are exceptional at multi-tasking.
This week has been set aside on a national level to recognize and remember the important roles that dispatchers provide, but we need to remember it more than during just this week.
Please join me in thanking the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office Dispatchers for their service to our community: 911 Administrator Crystal Denton, Dispatchers Lynda Ekstrom, Geneva Trumble, Scott Peterson, Tony Navarro, Malorie Stippich, Todd Krautkremer, Madison Parker and Granite Allinger. It’s their voice in the darkness that gives hope to those who really need it.
I would also like to thank sheriff’s office Administrative Assistant Amanda Tompkins and County Weed Supervisor Dave Wenk, who are cross-trained in dispatch to fill in when needed.
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Dave Kramer is the Boundary County Sheriff.