'911, what is your emergency?'

By CHANSE WATSON

Managing Editor

WALLACE — From our earliest days of grade school, we are taught to call 911 if there is ever an emergency. When that call goes out, emergency crews then respond accordingly. It’s a simple system from the caller and responder perspective, but there are vital middlemen in this process that must quickly gather and relay information for these two sides that are sometimes forgotten about — they are the Public Safety Communications Officers, or more commonly known as dispatchers.

Along with other law enforcement agencies across the nation, the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) celebrated National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week by honoring its dispatcher staff and recognizing their hard work.

SCSO Communications Director Casey VanBuskirk has been serving Shoshone County for more than 18 years and describes Telecommunicators Week as a time to acknowledge those that need to be acknowledged.

“The dispatcher has been described as the unsung hero,” he said. “There have been many descriptions of the important place that 911 operators have in our everyday lives. We cannot imagine our world without being able to call 911 in a time of need.”

VanBuskirk stresses the importance of the position by pointing out that there are few things in life that people consider a certainty — one of the few is someone always answering a 911 call.

“Our public counts on the voice at the end of the line to be there, in the time of their greatest need.”

The position of dispatcher is already a demanding one in any part of the county. Because an emergency can strike at any time, there must always be someone in the dispatcher office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. While working these long hours, dispatchers must be able to remain calm under pressure. Listening to a 911 caller in an emergency situation can be difficult, but they must stay sharp as even the smallest piece of information can incredibly vital for the first responders being dispatched.

The 911 Center, or Public Safety Answering Point, in Wallace answers thousands of calls for service each year from all-over and around Shoshone County. From the top of Fourth of July Pass to the Montana state line and the Clarkia area to Prichard area, a 911 caller within those boundaries will most likely be routed to the Wallace dispatch center.

Local agencies (or ones that have a presence in Shoshone County) that the dispatchers work with on a daily basis include SCSO, Kellogg Police Department, Osburn Police Department, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Fish and Game, Idaho State Police, Shoshone County Fire District No. 1, District No. 2, Mullan Volunteer Fire, Murray/Prichard Volunteer Fire, Avery/Clarkia Volunteer Fire, County EMS and the Idaho Department of Lands (just to name a few).

In the cases where a call comes in from a border area, the dispatch center will coordinate efforts with neighboring agencies and first responders to get the appropriate help to that location in the shortest amount of time.

Situated in the middle of the Sheriff’s Office, the Wallace dispatch center also serves as the control room for the jail. It is from there that jail staff coordinate their efforts with dispatchers, while both keep an eye on the inmates. Dispatchers also assist the rest of the office by controlling certain doors remotely and watching video feeds from cameras placed all around the building, ensuring that only the right people come in or leave.

All of this is on top of their important responsibility of entering warrants and protection orders into the national database.

With so much to do and little time for breaks, VanBuskirk acknowledges the challenges he and his staff face — not to mention the emotional toll that comes with picking up that phone day-after-day.

“Oftentimes, only the sensational calls or the 911 calls that go bad are the ones that are national news,” he explained. “However, little recognition goes to the thousands that answer the calls and texts, that stay on the line through the caller’s physical pain, psychotic episode, emotional loss and anguish.”

A complicated position often comes with complicated benefits. VanBuskirk believes that the most rewarding part of the job is helping close friends and family get home safe, but the hardest part is just that — helping friends and family in an emergency situation.

Dispatchers have a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives and when we do it is very rewarding and fulfilling,” he added. “Our callers are not just people in general. We live in a relatively small community. We have grown up here, we know our neighbors, we have friends here, we have family here and many times the caller knows the voice at the other end of the 911 call.”

Despite the negatives, dispatchers rely on their training (which involves acquiring many state and federal certifications) to get the job done and look to the many positives for motivation.

“(I’m) very proud of the crew and where we are at,” VanBuskirk said. “There are challenges every day and that keeps us on our toes, so-to-speak. It also keeps our job fresh. (But it’s) no problem and it’s our privilege to help!”

SCSO Undersheriff Holly Lindsey echoed VanBuskirk’s praise of the dispatcher team.

“Calm in the face of chaos’ is a saying often used to describe a 911 dispatcher,” she said. “They are the unseen heroes who keep our community safe and the foundation that keeps our office operating efficiently. We have an amazing team of dispatchers here at the SCSO and I’m proud to work with each and every one of them.”

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week started in 1981 by just one agency in California. The idea spread across the nation until Congress first gave it national recognition in 1991. Since then it has been celebrated the second full week in April every year.