Telecommunicator Spotlight: Kristin Ritter
At age 26, Kristin Ritter is already considered a hero by her actions as a professional in the communications field. Though she, as well as others in her field, would say she was just doing her job, a family in Prince George’s County, Md., might say otherwise.
Ritter is employed as a Senior Emergency Dispatch Aide for Public Safety Communications for Prince George’s County. She has served in this position for five years. In addition, she has served as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician in Calvert County, Md., for the past four years.
In April 2015, she took a call that involved a house on fire. The voice on the other end was a young boy, age 13, who was difficult to understand. Ritter was able to obtain the address from the youngster and learned that there was a lot of smoke in the house. Ritter asked the boy if he was able to get out of the house and inquired who else was in the home. The boy responded he was unable to exit the home. The adults in the house had been able to exit before firefighters arrived.
Meanwhile, Ritter was sending information to the dispatcher and, at the same time, became aware that the caller’s sister, age 9, was also in the house with him. “I tried to keep him calm. I listened to the background. The sister was upset,” Ritter says.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Ritter remained on the phone and kept talking with the boy in an attempt to keep him, as well as his sister, as calm as possible throughout the ordeal. The windows were so hot that they could not be opened.
Ritter was very concerned about the children’s exposure to smoke inhalation. “It definitely makes you worry. Children have smaller lung capacity. I didn’t want to look on the dark side. The wait time was the hardest part. You don’t want it to show,” Ritter says.
She acknowledges that children know when someone is not telling the truth, so Ritter tried to be as honest as she could be without upsetting them more than they already were. She kept talking through the call, asking them if they were safe and informing them that firefighters were on the way. Ritter also told them when firefighters had arrived on scene.
When firefighters approached a window in the home, it was not the window of the room the children were trapped in. The young boy was able to tell Ritter where the firefighters were in relation to his location. This information was quickly relayed to those on scene, and they were able to reach the trapped victims and rescue them from the fire burning in the home.
Throughout the call, Ritter was calm, professional and thorough in all respects. After the incident, a press conference was held at the fire department, and she was able to meet the children and their family. The young boy brought her flowers. His little sister was shy, but the entire family was deeply grateful for Ritter’s efforts that aided in the rescue of the children. “If I could have cried at the moment I would have. It was the best birthday present I’ve ever had,” Ritter says.
So, what does Ritter love about her job? “Being able to get there first. Being able to help people right away,” she says. And, she admits, she has a “passion to help people.” She acknowledges the importance of multitasking in her role, combined with the ability to remain empathetic in any situation. Moreover, Ritter is able to think on her feet, adapt to any situation and be ready at a moment’s notice for any kind of change.
Ritter admits the job can be stressful, but “you find ways to work around it,” she says. Ritter has found ways to relieve the stress after she arrives home. She often listens to music and separates herself from all that occurred on her shift. She also finds it helpful to talk about the stress with colleagues, friends and family.
On her days off, Ritter enjoys spending time with her animals and her family. She lives in St. Leonard, Md., on 30 acres of land and has one dog, two cats, eight chickens and five pigeons. She also enjoys shopping, visiting with friends and reading fiction—particularly historical fiction.
In her five years on this job, Ritter has achieved a wealth of experience. Her passion for the job combined with her skills makes her a winning entity in public service. She is an asset to the organization and the community she serves. Ritter has made her mark, and she likely will achieve even greater success in the future.
Karen L. Bune serves as an adjunct professor at George Mason University and Marymount University in Virginia, and she is a consultant for the Training and Technical Assistance Center for the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. She is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on public safety issues. Bune is Board Certified in Traumatic Stress and Domestic Violence, and she is a Fellow of The Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and the National Center for Crisis Management. She serves on the Institutional Review Board of The Police Foundation, Washington, D.C.