Recognizing the work of public safety telecommunicators
Zach Holt has been a public safety telecommunicator for nearly six years. He began training with Elk County Emergency Services in Ridgway before being hired at the McKean County 911 Dispatch Center in Smethport.
As a volunteer firefighter, Holt thought he knew what to expect as a telecommunicator. Instead, he says he found it, “to be more than I could have possibly dreamed.” Unlike a typical 8–12hour job where tasks are clearly defined, as a telecommunicator, Holt never knows what each day will hold.
“You can be involved in someone’s worst or best day,” he says. It can be very gratifying and also helps put life into perspective.
The one thing Holt wishes the general public knew about working as a telecommunicator is that they are not operators or dispatchers. “We are truly the first, first responders” he says. Telecommunicators are on the frontlines, as the first to respond to any and all emergency calls.
Telecommunicators are equipped with protocols that enable them to deal with nearly any emergency situation from delivering a baby, to a car sinking into a pond, or a suicide attempt. Of course, there is no way to prepare for everything that happens in life and telecommunicators are sometimes called upon to adlib as they deal with fluid situations.
April 11-17, 2021 is recognized as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. “It’s great to be recognized for a week” says Nate Burgett, quality assurance training coordinator for McKean County Emergency Services, “but telecommunicators should be recognized every day.
They work 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We cannot do enough to show them our appreciation. They deserve a heck of a lot of credit.”
If you dial 911, there will always be an answer. With a high turnover rate and constant need for more personnel, telecommunicators often work overtime, vacations, and holidays to make sure there is always someone ready to respond to an emergency.
Work as a telecommunicator is incredibly stressful, requiring personnel to be able to multitask and maintain composure. There has recently been an increase in studies exploring the rate of PTSD in telecommunicators. It’s also hard for telecommunicators, who never know the outcome of situations they respond to.
Although telecommunicators face a myriad of challenges every day Holt finds that the hardest part of the job is that telecommunicators do not get the respect they deserve. He credits this to a lack of public knowledge and people not understanding exactly what telecommunicators do.
There is an initiative to better understand what telecommunicators do and recognize their work. The department of labor currently classifies emergency telecommunicators as “secretaries” instead of first responders. This causes problems for acquiring necessary resources.
Updating the title from dispatcher to telecommunicator was a small step in the right direction as telecommunicators are required to do much more than “dispatch.” A more accurate name would require multiple hyphenations, says Holt, to fully describe all aspects of the job. The job keeps expanding as telecom
municators are tasked with more responsibilities beyond just emergency 911 calls. From downed cable lines, to power outages, when in doubt, people call the 911 center. According to Holt, “you name it, we deal with it.”
Before telecommunicators are ever even allowed “on the floor” they receive 584 hours of training. This includes book work training, and introductions to the radio and call taking. Telecommunicators must learn all three protocols: medical, fire, and police and be recertified every three years.
A good way to show appreciation for the work of public safety telecommunicators, is simply saying, “thank you.” If you have to call 911, do not get frustrated or angry. It may seem like there are a lot of questions being asked, but there is a reason for everything a telecommunicator says.
“The verbiage can throw people off, but it’s been proven to get people’s attention as quickly as possible,” says Holt. Efficiency is important as the goals of a telecommunicator are scene safety, patient care, and getting response units on scene as quickly as possible.
Holt and Burgett encourage any public safety personnel to contact the 911 Dispatch Center to set up a tour and a sit in to experience the work of a telecommunicator. Once COVID restrictions have eased, the public is also welcomed to schedule a visit.
If you do not know any telecommunicators personally, sending a note or small treat to the center this week, or any time during the year is greatly appreciated by the men and women who work around the clock to make sure no emergency ever goes unheard.