By Paul Fallon, Charleston Daily Mail

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. — Kanawha County’s emergency dispatch system has undergone many changes over the past three decades, but one thing has remained the same.

Toni Wallace has been at her station.

Wallace, 53, of South Charleston began her career with the Montgomery Police Department in 1977. But in 1981 she moved to the Kanawha County Emergency Dispatch Center in the courthouse.

In the days before the 911 response system, both the county and the city had dispatch units, Wallace said.

“So Toni predates Metro 911,” said Carolyn Charnock, executive director of Kanawha County Metro 911.

In 1987, the city and county dispatch units were combined into the first countywide 911 system in the state, and Wallace moved into the new system with a wealth of knowledge under her belt, Charnock said.

“Thirty years is a long time for a dispatcher,” Charnock said. “It’s a high-stress job.”

Monday was Wallace’s official anniversary date with the agency. But on Tuesday, dispatchers, along with Charnock and Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper, took some time to honor Wallace’s service with cake and presents.

Carper was instrumental in combining the county and city emergency dispatch systems into Metro 911 when he was director of public safety in Charleston.

“She (Wallace) is the gold standard when it comes to dispatchers,” Carper said. “She’s a professional, calming voice during crisis and chaos.”

Wallace, who has no plans to retire anytime soon, acknowledged that the job is a very stressful one. She is now a captain with the center and is responsible for supervising 14 employees over a 12-hour shift.

Over the years, the call volume has increased significantly, Wallace said. Nowadays, the Metro 911 Center receives about 1,500 calls a day, Charnock said.

“We get the highest call volume in the state,” Charnock said. “This is a very demanding job.

“It takes someone very special to do a job like this, especially for 30 years.”

Wallace said she has a lot of patience, which has helped her through the years.

“It’s hard to cope, but you try to bear it,” Wallace said. “And you never know what’s going to happen in the next minute.”

Wallace offered a bit of advice for less-experienced dispatchers: Leave work at the office and “never take it home.”

“And they need to remain calm when they’re talking to the field units and to the public,” she said.

Over the years, Wallace has handled a wide variety of calls ranging from shootings to fires.

She most dreads a certain type of call.

“Incidents at chemical plants can affect thousands of people in the area,” she said. “I’ve dealt with just about everything, but chemical incidents are the worst.”

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