Via a proclamation, the Barton County Commission Monday morning marked this as National Public Safety Communications Officer Week “in honor of the men and women whose diligence and professionalism keep our communities and citizens safe.”
Approved at the request of Communications Director Dena Popp, the proclamation honors public safety communications officers for their vital role in protecting the life and property of Barton County citizens, yet often remain unrecognized in the background.
“Today, I would ask the commissioners to help recognize the dispatch profession and the talented, dedicated and committed staff that fulfills it,” Popp said.
“This week is National Telecommunicator Week, a week to recognize those who answer the calls for help, a week to recognize those who are never seen, only heard,” Communications Popp said. Dispatchers often get overlooked, and under recognized.
“If you have an emergency, whether medical, fire, accident, or a crime who do you call for help?” she asked. “When you think of who responds in an emergency, who do you think of?”
Most people would say police, sheriff, fire and EMS offices. What about dispatchers?
“The first line of getting help in an emergency is dispatch,” Popp said. “Even if you call the sheriff or police, they will transfer you to dispatch.”
She said dispatch will ask pertinent questions to get the appropriate units responding.
“Dispatching is often perceived as an easy job, to sit behind the desk and answer phones and radio traffic,” she said. “But until one has tried it, it should not be stereotyped. Not everyone can succeed at being a dispatcher. It requires rotating shifts (nights, weekends, and holidays), time away from family and at times, high stress. Dispatching takes a talent.”
The talent to multi-task at a higher level, to listen to the radio and page an ambulance, give CPR instructions over the phone, log an officer’s traffic stop, and communicate with their partner who is dispatching law enforcement require patience, and the ability to deal with high stress levels, she said. “It requires the ability to handle those callers who yell and curse at us, the ability to show empathy and understanding.
“It requires the strength to not break down when a loved one collapses or a baby quits breathing, the ability to calm the hysterical caller whose house is on fire and have family or pets inside, the ability to paraphrase and act quickly to gather the necessary information and get is dispatched at the same time,” she said. “It requires the compassion and responsibility to continuously monitor the officer/deputy who is on a high priority traffic stop with an uncooperative subject who safety may be at risk.”
Yet, the majority of the time, dispatchers are rarely thought of or recognized as the first line of help. We are the face that is never seen, Popp said.
“Emergency Services has a flag with the thin blue line that represents law enforcement, the thin red line represents fire departments, the thin white line represents EMS,” she said. “There is also a thin gold line for dispatchers who are rarely seen but mostly heard. The calm voice in the dark night. The golden glue that holds it all together.”
Emergencies can occur at any time that require police, fire or emergency medical services, and when an emergency occurs the prompt response of police officers, firefighters and paramedics is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property, the proclamation notes. “The safety of all emergency service personnel is dependent upon the quality and accuracy of information obtained from citizens who telephone the Barton County Communications Center, and Communications Officers are the first and most critical contact citizens have with emergency services.
These officers are the single vital link for emergency responders, monitoring their activities by radio, providing them information and insuring their safety. “Barton County Communications Officers have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires and treatment of patients.”
