Dana Wormald, The Union Leader (Manchester, NH)

LONDONDERRY – When a local homeowner’s worst nightmare came true last winter, he was no doubt relieved to hear a calming voice on the phone when he called police.

That December evening, two masked men were forcing their way into that resident’s home as he frantically dialed 911, waiting patiently while dispatcher Barbara Jones summoned help.

“She handled that call with cool aplomb and helped through a very difficult moment,” Police Chief William Hart said Monday night. “Ultimately, those two young men were apprehended and brought to justice. This was in no small part due to Barbara Jones.”

Next week is National Telecommunications Officers Week and, with that in mind, town staff paused to honor some of the town’s unsung heroes Monday night, when the police and fire chiefs recognized Londonderry’s dispatchers.

A dozen or so staff members from both departments sat in the audience.

Hart said his department receives “up to 100 or so calls per day,” as does the fire department.

Just last week, a resident called 911 to report a townhouse fire in the Century Village condo complex. Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie said the situation could have easily been much worse, considering the caller had limited knowledge of the area.

“This passer-by only knew he was somewhere near Winding Pond Road,” MacCaffrie said. “But after describing the area, dispatcher Jerry Johnson recognized the neighborhood and dispatched crews to the scene.”

Within an hour, fire crews from several towns had extinguished the flames and rescued two cats that were shut in the home.

“He was able to keep a cool head through it all,” MacCaffrie said. “Those are the people behind the scenes. We don’t often think about them because they aren’t holding a fire hose, but the wheel can’t go around without a center hub.”

Honored by the Town Council Monday night were police dispatchers Rachael Cawthron, Barbara Jones, Jason Pinault, Maria Schacht and Cindy Tuck, and fire dispatchers Jerry Johnson, Elizabeth Mahone, Robert Simard, Christopher Schofield, Vinny Curro and supervisor Brian Johnson.

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