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Summit County dispatcher Susan Lightcap handles incoming 911 calls while keeping track of five monitors. “You know within the first few weeks if you can handle the job, and you quickly realize it’s more than just taking calls,” Lightcap said.
SUMMIT COUNTY — During an emergency the 911 dispatch operators are the first people on the scene. Using only their voice they calmly guide those in crisis, reminding them not to panic and assuring them that help is on the way.
Each year, the second week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators, those expected to do five things at once - and do them well.
It take a unique individual to be able to handle heavy call loads riddled with high stress scenarios, but the 15 telecommunicators that handle the 911 calls in Summit County seem to take it all in stride.
“It can be overwhelming, but at the same time it is very rewarding,” said Susan Lightcap, who is currently five months into her nine month training at the call center.
“You know within the first few weeks if you can handle the job, and you quickly realize it’s more than just taking calls,” Lightcap added.
Dealing with 142,000 calls a year can get a little hectic for those individuals who switch off manning the phones 24 hours a day, and the ability to multitask and handle stress is all just a part of the job.
“It can be extremely stressful and traumatic, but we all do what we need to do to help people in need,” said Deb Scheller, who has been working dispatch for over five years.
“We’re there to give calming support, but once you’re off the call the emotions kick in and you sometimes have to step back and take a deep breath,” said Scheller.
When handling calls, dispatchers question each caller carefully to determine the type, seriousness, and location of the emergency, all the while giving continuous updates to the selected agencies responding to the incident.
The Summit County call center dispatches for 35 different agencies in the county and operators field calls for everything from search and rescues to accidents on the Interstate.
“There has been a slow growth in call volume over the past five years and telecommunicators really have to do it all in terms of working with different agencies,” said Benson.
Supervisor Chuck Copley has been in the public safety communications field for over 24 years and says that although the job can get incredibly chaotic, helping those in need is well worth it.
“It’s amazing to see what people will go through to help people they will never meet or see,” said Copley. “It’s anonymous, which is both good and frustrating. All you have is your voice to help people and one button push can end everything.”
The 911 dispatchers experience the most chaotic and stressful aspects of any emergency and rarely get the opportunity to follow-up and see what actually happens to the person on the other end of the phone line.
“It’s like reading the first three chapters of a book and then throwing the book away,” said Copley. “It’s a quick rush of adrenaline and then you hand it over to the responders.”
According to Benson, call operators don’t get much closure on the emergency calls they handle on a daily basis, which can make for a lot of mixed emotions at the end of the day.
To help deal with these feelings, operators turn to each other for mental health support and explore activities outside the call center to deal with the stress.
“I do a lot of hobbies to take my mind off what we do here,” said Copley. “But after all these years there are still things that gets to me, like anything dealing with kids.”
At the end of the day, when the fire is extinguished, the patient is in the emergency room, and the cars are towed away from the wreck, few people rarely remember the voice of the 911 operator that started it all.
Callers may never know their names or see their faces, but because of the dedicated public safety telecommunicators that service Summit County there is always a calming voice on the line to answer the call of those in danger and need.
<i>Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.</i>
Each year, the second week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators, those expected to do five things at once - and do them well.
It take a unique individual to be able to handle heavy call loads riddled with high stress scenarios, but the 15 telecommunicators that handle the 911 calls in Summit County seem to take it all in stride.
“It can be overwhelming, but at the same time it is very rewarding,” said Susan Lightcap, who is currently five months into her nine month training at the call center.
“You know within the first few weeks if you can handle the job, and you quickly realize it’s more than just taking calls,” Lightcap added.
Dealing with 142,000 calls a year can get a little hectic for those individuals who switch off manning the phones 24 hours a day, and the ability to multitask and handle stress is all just a part of the job.
“It can be extremely stressful and traumatic, but we all do what we need to do to help people in need,” said Deb Scheller, who has been working dispatch for over five years.
“We’re there to give calming support, but once you’re off the call the emotions kick in and you sometimes have to step back and take a deep breath,” said Scheller.
When handling calls, dispatchers question each caller carefully to determine the type, seriousness, and location of the emergency, all the while giving continuous updates to the selected agencies responding to the incident.
The Summit County call center dispatches for 35 different agencies in the county and operators field calls for everything from search and rescues to accidents on the Interstate.
“There has been a slow growth in call volume over the past five years and telecommunicators really have to do it all in terms of working with different agencies,” said Benson.
Supervisor Chuck Copley has been in the public safety communications field for over 24 years and says that although the job can get incredibly chaotic, helping those in need is well worth it.
“It’s amazing to see what people will go through to help people they will never meet or see,” said Copley. “It’s anonymous, which is both good and frustrating. All you have is your voice to help people and one button push can end everything.”
The 911 dispatchers experience the most chaotic and stressful aspects of any emergency and rarely get the opportunity to follow-up and see what actually happens to the person on the other end of the phone line.
“It’s like reading the first three chapters of a book and then throwing the book away,” said Copley. “It’s a quick rush of adrenaline and then you hand it over to the responders.”
According to Benson, call operators don’t get much closure on the emergency calls they handle on a daily basis, which can make for a lot of mixed emotions at the end of the day.
To help deal with these feelings, operators turn to each other for mental health support and explore activities outside the call center to deal with the stress.
“I do a lot of hobbies to take my mind off what we do here,” said Copley. “But after all these years there are still things that gets to me, like anything dealing with kids.”
At the end of the day, when the fire is extinguished, the patient is in the emergency room, and the cars are towed away from the wreck, few people rarely remember the voice of the 911 operator that started it all.
Callers may never know their names or see their faces, but because of the dedicated public safety telecommunicators that service Summit County there is always a calming voice on the line to answer the call of those in danger and need.
<i>Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.</i>
