BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
This is National Telecommunications Week. It is a time to recognize emergency dispatchers, such as Fire, Police or 911 in general. Personally, I think it should be recognized every day.
There are a lot of difficult jobs out there. I would put an emergency dispatcher right at or very near to the top, in my opinion.
This comes from 37 years as a reporter, listening to police scanners, and making a lot of excellent friends who do the job.
I don’t know how many of you regularly listen to a scanner to hear the incidents reported to officers or fire departments throughout a single day. But it is a way of life for me.
At any moment chaos can explode, both literally and figuratively, in a dispatch center. That man or woman manning the phone lines has a job that I am not built to do, I can freely admit.
Something as simple as a routine traffic stop can suddenly become shots fired, or a pursuit. In the midst of that a call can come in from a parent with a child choking, or non-responsive. Then a fire call, or shoplifting. A multiple-vehicle accident, or tree down on power lines. It can happen with no warning or notice.
Imagine a horrible storm, or tornadoes on the ground. The 911 call center will be swamped by people asking, “When will the storm be over? When will my power be back on?” For the record, those calls are NOT emergencies, and you are tying up lines that can save people’s lives who are in a real emergency.
And all the while the dispatcher is fielding real emergency calls, dealing with people coming in to pick up a police report or wanting to file charges against someone on a totally unrelated incident.
It is their job to relay as much pertinent, accurate information to the firefighters or the officers as possible. That is where YOU can help.
If you find yourself in a position where you have to call 911, there are some things dispatchers need from you. Know your location. An address is the best information, but at least a street or a landmark. What exactly are you reporting? It is understandable that when you have to make a legitimate call to 911, you are probably dealing with some anxiety. Try to stay calm, concise and give as much information as you can relay. Clothing descriptions, vehicle descriptions, direction of travel of a suspect or vehicle, if injuries, what type? How many victims? If you have a name of a suspect, give it.
As you are giving this information, the dispatcher is trying to relay it to officers or firefighters or paramedics. Stay on the line as long as you can, or until the dispatcher tells you they have the information.
As I said earlier, you may be the one in need of help, or it is a loved one. Of course, you are going to be upset. But it is so important to try and stay calm and give critical information. Meanwhile, the dispatcher also has to remain calm, even in the midst of sometimes horrifying events. Perhaps someone is trapped or injured, needing assistance. Other first responders need as much information as possible to make the right decision on how to proceed. If there is a fight, are their weapons involved? Are people inside the burning house?
I could go on and on, but please try to imagine what these ladies and gentlemen are dealing with at any given moment. While they are talking to you, chances are there is another line ringing, and all of the calls are important.
So, if you can, do something nice for the dispatchers this week. Or any week. Drop off a card, or goodies.
In my experience, I love to do a visit throwing chocolate through the window in the lobby, not making eye contact, and retreating quickly if they are busy. But at some point, when things calm down, they are going to appreciate that Snickers bar. Chances are they haven’t had time to eat a proper meal, or even take a bathroom break, depending on the incidents reported.
God bless the dispatchers. Give them some love and appreciation this week wherever you are in our area. I promise you, they will appreciate it, even if they don’t have time to tell you. They really are busier than most people would understand. They are a critical lifeline so many times throughout any given day, at any second.
Sarah Stephens is the owner of the Elmore/Autauga News. She can be reached at editorsarah@yahoo.com
