911 Emergency Dispatcher: The calm voice in the dark
By: Charlene Belew, The Duncan Banner
Most people have heard about the “thin red line” and the “thin blue line,” but what about the thinest gold line in the middle? That thin gold line represents those who aren’t ever seen, but are mostly heard. That thin gold line stands for dispatchers, who act as “the golden glue that holds it all together” when it comes to receiving emergency calls and sending out first responders.
National Public Safety Telecommunications Week falls between April 14-20. This week is a time to honor those dispatchers and public safety telecommunicators for the jobs they perform behind the scenes.
Heather George, who works with the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office as the 911 dispatch supervisor, said there are 10 total dispatchers from the county. From just Jan. 1 – March 31, these dispatchers have taken a total of 6,045 calls, both inbound and outbound, not including internal calls between the departments, which can sometimes fall in the 400-600 range each month. Usually, according to George, there are at least two dispatchers on duty at a time, except some early morning hours where there may only be one.
