He was irate, red faced and leaning back in his chair arms folded. “How can you say that, how can you believe that!” It wasn’t the first time someone didn’t like my opinion and wouldn’t be the last. I calmly replied that he didn’t have to agree with me, it was my opinion. I believe what I said, I still do and here are four of many reasons why.
A man is crouched by his bed with a gun and he wants to dies. The 911 call taker knows suicide is not the only danger and calmly tells the man this, “You made a mistake, we all do, it doesn’t have to cost you your life.” He doesn’t want to put the gun down but she skillfully coaxes him, “Promise me, promise me, because you don’t want this to be your children’s last memory of you, they have to live in this house.” He promises and then she walks him to the front door where he is arrested for child molest and no one dies.
“My name is Jessie and I’m not leaving you honey. I’m here, the firefighters are there and will get you out, stay with me. Stay with me Nikki, talk to me.” She is gagging while begging Jess to get her out. I can hear a faint meow of Nikki’s cat under the blanket Jess told her to put over her to keep the smoke out. Eleven minutes, the phone goes dead, Jessie quickly dials back to get a recorded message.
“Is there a chair or a counter so you can give yourself a Heimlich?’ Her voice is clear, calm and strong as the elderly man gasps for air. For several terrifying minutes she tells him what to do to survive. Finally a huge gasp, cough, “It’s out, I can breathe,” his voice is shakey. “Bless your heart, what was it?” “Chicken” he says, “I’m 86 and I live alone”. You did a good job Bert!” she replies and continues to talk to him until the EMTs arrive.
The wounded officer keys his mic, “I’ve been shot” his voice is sinking. The dispatcher hits the alert tones, and calmly and clearly puts out the proper announcement units answer up and the dispatcher confirms each unit and coordinates the response, and then he gently says over the air, “Hang in there bud, hang in there.” He does hang in there.
These are everyday experiences in the world of our Emergency Telecommunicators . A few real examples of the courage and skill of the call takers and dispatchers I have heard over my thirty years in this profession. To say that I am amazed and proud of the men and women who answer 9-1-1 and dispatch over emergency radio to serve and protect our responders is an inadequate expression of how I feel every time I hear the work so expertly done.
Again, I will say it. I truly believe the knowledge and skill of this profession is grossly underestimated, misunderstood and undervalued. How do we value in our society? How do you know you are valued? There are many ways. The most evident is pay. "I believe our 911 professionals should receive pay equity with the responders." That statement quieted the room as the 911 professionals digested what I said, some hesitantly agreeing with me, some internally considering their own worth.
The red faced man I found out later was a retired officer who was working at 311. I’m sure he too has NO idea of the complexity of the work or the peril of having someone’s life hanging in seconds in your hands. Seconds in which your skills, knowledge, attitude and ability is only evident through the work you do in a few minutes; your voice, your patience, your intelligence, your speed. This work is generally more maligned than understood and honored.
Don’t get me wrong, Telecommunicators love their work, the pay aside. I know I won’t live to see pay equity with responders but I will forever stand behind my belief that the work is well deserving of that level of recognition. The argument that Telecommunicators don’t face a bullet isn’t a valid one. There are many professions that make equal or more pay than public safety and don’t face the bullet. But pay often isn’t the only inequality with the other Public Safety personnel, there are many examples of devaluing going on out there.
Yet Telecommunicators remain loyal and often accept their conditions for the love of the work. And yes, although some may not have considered their true worth in pay, some do fight for their needs. This is often a very challenging struggle. Maybe even a losing battle creating epidemic negativity, stress, death of trust and apathy evident in those workplaces that don’t listen to their people’s needs. And yes, it is possible to overcome negativity etc. - listen and respond to their needs. Progress is often slow though because it's hard to earn trust once trust has been destroyed.
When I encounter an agency that truly values their 911 personnel it’s a wonderful place to behold. People are truly empowered professionals who have a high level of involvment, training and workplace satisfaction. People are empowered to speak to their needs and are heard. And that is the key to true valuing - to hear and respond to the needs of those who do the good work every day. It’s called great leadership and agencies that provide excellent leadership value their professionals. Now we just need to get them a raise!
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