MOUNT VERNON — “9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
The voice on the line offers calmness in distress, and help in the worst of circumstances. The dispatcher who answers the phone when an emergency call is made will have only seconds to determine what kind of help is needed, and how to get that help to the caller the fastest.
“I would say we are the first, first-responders,” Heather Canter, a dispatcher at the Mount Vernon City 9-1-1 center, said.
Canter, who has worked as a dispatcher for five years, said she became interested in applying for a dispatch job because of her husband’s years in the fire service. Duane Canter is a captain with the Fredericktown Community Fire District, and a volunteer with Fredericktown EMS.
“I love my job,” said Lisa Hart, a dispatcher at the county 9-1-1 center. “Our jobs are very important. And I love the part we take in saving lives.”
Knox County’s 9-1-1 system is divided between two centers. Mount Vernon fire and police calls are routed through the center located at the Mount Vernon Police Department. If a call is made from a land line anywhere within the city of Mount Vernon, the call will be received at the city dispatch center.
If a call is made from a land line anywhere outside the city, but within the county, or from a cell phone anywhere in Knox County, the call will go to the dispatch center at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Cell phone calls from within the city are received at the county center, then rerouted to the city dispatch center. All of this happens within seconds.
A dispatcher’s first job is to ascertain the nature and location of the emergency. Then, he or she must call on training and judgment to quickly dispatch police, fire or EMS personnel. At the same time, the dispatcher may have to make or keep the caller calm, or talk him or her through a medical emergency before EMS arrives.
Dispatchers are also law enforcement’s connection to the Law Enforcement Agency Database system, which enables police officers and sheriff’s deputies across Knox County to check on license plates, the status of a driver’s license or a person’s criminal record. Both dispatch centers have a LEADS terminal, and officers contact dispatchers to request them to look up information.
Dispatchers said it is not unusual for five or six channels of fire/EMS and police radio traffic to be communicating with a dispatch center at the same time. Approximately 14 radio channels are monitored by dispatchers. EMA Director Marie Blubaugh, who coordinates the hiring, scheduling and training of dispatchers at both centers, said that two to three dispatchers work together on each shift, at both dispatch locations.
There are 24 dispatchers who work in Knox County in the two centers; the county budget allows for a full staff of 26 positions. Dispatchers are all county employees, but they typically only work at one of the dispatch centers.
Sheriff David Barber is in charge of day-to-day operations at the county dispatch center.
“They do an outstanding job. Marie and I are both very proud of the job they do,” said Barber.
Mount Vernon Police Chief Michael Merrilees is in charge of day-to-day operations at the Mount Vernon dispatch center. Merrillees said the dispatchers often have several responsibilities at once, but the dispatchers’ No. 1 priority is always the 9-1-1 calls.
“Other calls are second, and other things will always happen later,” he said.
The relationship between the dispatchers and the emergency personnel who rely on them for the coordination of their radio traffic, facilitation of communication with other departments, and communication with members of the public experiencing emergencies, is invaluable.
“They play an absolutely critical role,” said Mount Vernon Fire Chief Shawn Christy of the dispatchers. “I have absolute faith in the city dispatchers.”
“I feel the dispatchers truly care about fire and EMS personnel,” Fredericktown EMS Chief Rick Lanuzza said. “They are our lifelines when we are out in the field.”
Hart said that she and her fellow dispatchers feel that responsibility deeply.
“I love them all. They are like brothers to me,” she said of the police and fire/EMS responders she dispatches. “They have to have that faith in us because we are their lifeline.”
“[Firefighters] don’t even get to deal with people at the highest stress level,” he said, adding that when the fire department or law enforcement personnel arrive, people are often relieved that help is on the scene.
In contrast, he said, the dispatchers are dealing with callers who are at their peak stress level.
“The [dispatchers] have to be able to know what to do, have to keep the person calm, and all of this is over the telephone,” said Christy. “They truly get to be the calm voice for that child in danger, or for the person who’s trapped.”
Dispatchers feel the stress of the position.
“The hardest part is being able to handle it all at once,” Hart said. “The stress level is high, and you have to be able to handle the stress and stay calm in the situation.”
“The dispatchers are some of the most conscientious people in this county,” Barber said. “People do not give them the recognition they deserve.”
Christy agreed.
“If there’s anyone in this whole chain of emergency personnel who has a thankless job, it’s the dispatchers,” he said. “We get thanks from the public all the time. They don’t.”
However, Hart said the police and fire/EMS personnel do let the dispatchers know they value the job they do.
“They tell us thanks all the time,” she said.
And the dispatchers know the critical part they play in creating a bridge between people in an emergency, and the first responders who will bring them help.
“We just want them safe,” she said.
This week the News will take an in-depth look at different aspects of the 9-1-1 system in Knox County. Wednesday’s article will cover the training dispatchers receive and the high rate of turnover.