Staff writer
911 dispatchers often talk with people in their worst moments on their worst days, and that job requires a particular kind of person, Marion County Communications Interim Director Linda Klenda said Monday.
Dispatchers have to remain calm and obtain the needed information from callers, then relay that information to appropriate emergency responders.
Marion Fire Chief Mike Regnier said dispatchers are a crucial link between people in emergencies and emergency services, and even among responders. They are responsible for providing information firefighters, law enforcement, and ambulance workers need to do their jobs.
“I think everybody takes them for granted, not knowing what they do,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to have their job.”
“You have to be a special kind of person to be able to do this job,” Klenda said.
A good dispatcher is someone who is calm, caring, compassionate, intelligent, and able to multitask, she said.
But even for the people who are right for the job, it can be stressful. Klenda has worked in the department 10 years, and there are still things that get to her.
“Anything to do with children is hard,” she said.
Dispatch foreman Sandra Scheele said emergencies involving people she knows can be stressful. Klenda agreed, saying that in a small community, there will be calls where you know the people, but you have to remain calm and professional and do your job.
“How you de-stress afterward is the key,” she said.
Dispatcher Mischelle Johnston said being close with her co-workers helps her cope with the stress. She described the department as a family.
“We don’t have to take it all on one person,” she said
Motor vehicle accidents and storms are among the most hectic scenarios for dispatchers, because there are many people involved. The department was inundated with calls during and after a December 2007 ice storm that left hundreds without electricity, Klenda said.
Dispatchers often don’t hear the final result of the calls they take, especially ambulance calls, Scheele said. Regardless, the work of a dispatcher is rewarding, because they’re getting people the help they need, she added.