By Kenneth Knight

TEMPLE TERRACE— Being a 911 dispatcher is not the kind of job you take lightly.

Every phone call has the potential to be a matter of life and death.

Senior communications officer Jennifer Bowling, however, is at ease with her job. She calls on 6 1/2 years of training and service at the Temple Terrace Communications Center to handle a barrage of calls each day.

No two calls are alike, she said. “They are all different in their own way. Some days are more hectic than others.”

As the voice at the other end of 911 calls, Bowling handles each one with patience and compassion. Many callers are unaware she is following a strict protocol.

Bowling’s attention to detail helped her earn a 99.6 percent rating in handling emergency calls, the highest results the communications department ever has recorded. She achieved the feat based on an evaluation of the manner in which she handles calls.

For the accomplishment, Temple Terrace Fire Chief Keith Chapman named Bowling the 2011 Temple Terrace Fire Dispatcher of the Year at a recent ceremony.

The judging was based on the protocol requirements of the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch, which set rigorous standards for telecommunications professionals in fire, police and emergency medial services.

“It was something I wanted to accomplish the last five years,” Bowling said.

Temple Terrace spokesman Michael Dunn called it a demonstration of Bowling’s competitive spirit.

Bowling agreed, saying her competitive nature drives her to perform her best.

“If I’m getting the highest score that means I’m helping the citizens to the best of my ability,” she said.

Bowling, 31, of Wesley Chapel, began a career in a law enforcement-related field in South Florida at age 19. She worked as a secretary at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Marathon in the Keys.

When her family moved to the Tampa area, Bowling’s brother, Robert Hodges, encouraged her to apply for a communications dispatcher opening at the Temple Terrace Police Department. She was offered the job.

The communications center at Temple Terrace City Hall has 12 full-time communications officers to handle nearly 10,000 emergency calls a year and more than 30,000 annual calls for service.

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