By Jim Blanks

When we are involved in an emergency, we dial 911. The call goes through, and soon a calm, professional voice answers. Even in the most stressful situations, that voice remains cool, quickly extracting the necessary information to help us in our time of need. But how does a dispatch operator remain so poised in the midst of chaos? According to Visalia Dispatch Supervisor Gloria House, it is not always easy. It is, however, always rewarding.

The Visalia Police Department Communication Center is a hub of activity, handling about 800 calls per day. Besides 911 emergencies, the center also handles some business, in-house, and animal control lines. Dispatchers are always working.

“The dispatchers alternate duties throughout their ten-hour shifts,” House said, adding that dispatchers take calls and dispatch police, fire, and animal control. When a call comes in, the dispatcher must determine if police, fire, ambulance, or animal control is needed. After making this determination, another dispatcher working the radio channel will send the officers for the situation. If the call requires fire response, the dispatcher receiving the call will also alert the firefighters.

The work sounds straightforward, but House says that being a dispatcher can become complicated with each new call. This is part of what makes the job both difficult and exciting.

“Many people ask us if our jobs are extremely stressful,” House said. “The truth is that our jobs are enjoyable and fulfilling, but we have moments of stress. The shift may just be business as usual, when unexpectedly an officer is on the radio saying, ‘shots fired,’ or that he or she is in pursuit (of a criminal). These are the times that make you sit straight up in your chair, the surge of adrenaline rushing through your veins.”

The Dreaded ’11-99’

“The biggest fear every dispatcher has is to hear the dreaded ‘11-99’ over the radio,” House said. “This means that an officer needs help, and it is never good.”

In these situations, the dispatchers must be especially poised under pressure. House has experienced these situations, including an officer-involved shooting that occurred several years ago.

On one night, “it was so foggy that you couldn’t see across the street,” House said. “Our officer was under fire and the shots were coming from somewhere across the street. The dispatcher working the police radio was sitting straight up and her hands were shaking uncontrollably, but she never gave it away in her voice. She was steady and sure, and that officer knew we were going to get him help.”

This steady and sure demeanor does not come naturally; it is a product of intense training. To become a dispatcher, a candidate must pass through a rigorous screening process that includes a difficult state test, two separate oral board interviews, an extensive background check, and psychological and medical exams. After passing these, the candidate is offered employment. The newly hired dispatcher must then attend a 120-hour Basic Dispatch Academy and then complete eight to nine months of on-the-job training.

“The process is just as rigorous as the hiring process for a police officer,” House said, adding that many candidates do not get through the initial state test on their first attempt.

The process may be difficult, but it is necessary, and at the completion of this process, the dispatcher joins an elite, close-knit team.

“We have twenty full-time and three part-time positions,” House said. “One of the biggest challenges that nearly every communication center faces is working understaffed. We have faced this challenge for a long time, but have recently filled three vacant positions and are in the process of getting everyone trained.”

Even with so much training, House admits that there are still situations that a dispatcher may not expect, which makes it critical that the dispatchers work as a team.

A Safer Community

“Every day is different, and no matter how long you work here, you can never learn everything there is to know about the job,” House said. “We back each other up when it gets ugly, and we feel everything our partner feels.”

While sometimes this means sitting nearby while a dispatcher handles a difficult call, it can also mean sharing in the joy that comes from helping the police capture a criminal

“It is rewarding to know that you played a part in helping to capture a bad guy like a rapist or a robber, and that you are helping make the community safer,” House said.

And lately, the Communication Center’s efforts to make the community safer have been gaining widespread attention. The center has been the subject of a commercial and a television program. The reason for the commercial was a piece of emerging technology that aids dispatchers and the police.

“A citizen had been carjacked, and the vehicle had On-Star,” House said. “Because of this, we were able to find the vehicle while it was still rolling. On-Star then shut the engine down and the suspects were captured.”

Because this was the first time the technology was used, the company decided to film a commercial with the Communication Center and the dispatchers that took the call. Additionally, the center will be featured on an upcoming episode of the Discovery Channel program “Call 911.”

All of this is just part of what makes the job so exciting, House says. As a dispatcher, you are constantly facing new situations; you never know what the next call will bring. And, according to House, the dispatchers wouldn’t have it any other way.

“As the supervisor, I have met with all of the dispatchers individually,” House said, “and nearly all of them tell me the same thing. They love what they do and can’t imagine themselves doing anything else.”

These highly trained dispatchers handle our emergencies on a daily basis; they quickly assess the situation and send out the necessary officers. And as Dispatch Appreciation Month approaches, it becomes increasingly apparent that we also love the work that they do, and we also can’t imagine them doing anything else—being that steadying voice in the midst of often confusing times, the voice that says, “Remain calm, help is on the way.”

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