By David Diamond
Call them 9-1-1 calltakers, dispatchers, telecommunicators; they are a special breed. They are trained to be the voice at the end of the phone that remains calm, cool and professional no matter what the call. Training is extremely important in this profession because you never know what to expect. From assaults, fires, accidents, motor vehicle crashes, childbirth, cardiac arrest, choking, etc., telecommunicators are trained to respond in an instant’s notice to provide the correct information and dispatch accordingly or pass the information rapidly to another dispatcher. It’s very hard to keep emotions out of a call, but they have to; they have a job to do.

But what happens when a call comes in that personally affects the calltaker? It’s a member of their family or a close relationship. Don’t think it doesn’t happen. It’s the one call we all dread receiving. This is when training kicks in—and rapidly. You take the call, process the information and get the response going. It’s easy to say that it’s second nature and just an automatic response, but it really is.

In 2002, 9-1-1 calltaker Summer Sandness of Fargo, N.D., answered the dreaded call. Her mother was having a seizure. Before she released the call, she spoke with a paramedic who asked if her mom had any wishes. At first, she was oblivious to what the paramedic had asked, and then she was told that her mother was in cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, her mom died, but Sandness did her job as she was trained to do. In Sandness’s situation, her APCO Chapter was extremely supportive and reached out to her as much as they could, including sending a memorial card and flowers to the memorial service. At that time, she had only been a member of North Dakota APCO for six months.

Such a dreaded call also came to veteran operator Mike Bowes of Quincy, Mass. As he reported to Amy Robach onToday,that call hit way too close to home. It was a call for a blazing house fire in Quincy that turned out to be his house. Mike commented, “It’s surreal. First, you don’t believe it. You hear it, but it’s not registering. Then you see it on the screen and you realize, ‘It’s my house.'” Mike was concerned for his parents’ safety because they were both in the house. Fortunately, they were safe. Although his first concern was for them, he was also committed to doing his job. “You can’t just run out,” he said. “You can’t leave everybody else and leave the city shorthanded and without help.” Mike and his family lost everything but the clothes on their backs.

Bowes was not an APCO member, but the Atlantic Chapter made a sizeable donation to the Bowes Family Fund. In addition, the chapter paid for his APCO membership. After all, he’s one of us.

These are just two examples of what being a professional 9-1-1 calltaker is and how training kicks in when a call hits close to home. Yes, it does get personnel, and it is hard to keep calm, but that’s what we are trained to do. Also, APCO’s chapters are there to help and support members and non-members alike.

About the Author
David Diamond is a retired telecommunicator and an active APCO member. He has served as president of APCO’s Atlantic Chapter.

Orginially published in Public Safety Communications, Vol. 76(3):22-24, March 2010.