Iowa Dispatchers Recognized During NPST Week

April 18--They've never been to a crime scene, fought a fire or personally assisted someone during a medical emergency, but they are the lifeline between those in need and the police, firefighters and emergency personnel who respond to crisis situations.

They are the 10-member team of dispatchers at the Burlington Police Department whose job it is to dispatch police, fire and rescue personnel to the 42,000 people who live in Des Moines County.

This week the group is being honored as part of the National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. The annual honor was established to recognized dispatchers across the nation who answer 911 emergency calls for people who need assistance, while protecting those who respond to the crisis.

"Our dispatchers are extremely professional and excellent at what they do," said Maj. Darren Grimshaw, a Burlington police officer who oversees the dispatch unit. "It's a stressful job that usually goes unrecognized. But we have an experienced group here, and all of our dispatchers are confident in their abilities to handle any situation that may arise."

Mark Behne, the dispatch supervisor, said Wednesday he was pleased his team is being recognized for its work.

"We are basically out of sight and out of mind until someone needs us," he said, while sitting in the dimly lit dispatch center at the police department surrounded by several video screens, telephones and computers.

The telephone constantly rang during a 15-minute period, with people needing medical assistance, breaking up a potential domestic disturbance and reporting an auto accident.

Behne has heard everything imaginable in the 22 years he has been a dispatcher, but there is one call that stands out.

"The most difficult situation I have encountered was a woman who called 911 because her husband was threatening to harm himself," he said. "And he did. That was the hardest 911 call I have ever taken because I knew the woman saw him do it, and I heard it all. ... And there was nothing I could do for her."

While that may be the most difficult call, Behne said one his proudest accomplishments is he's never "had an officer down" while responding to a call. He said he couldn't remember any public safety officer seriously injured in Burlington while responding to a 911 call.

Behne, stressed it's the dispatchers responsibility once a 911 call is received to determine the exact nature of the emergency, how to help the person calling and give responding officers and firefighters the information they need to "know what they are getting into" when they respond to the emergency.

It is a job requiring calmness and the ability to handle stressful situations with professionalism and accuracy.

In today's world of cell phones, that sometimes can be difficult.

"We might have an auto accident, and within a short period of time, we may receive 30 911 calls about that accident," he said. "We have to take each 911 call like it is a separate incident before determining if the calls are related to the same accident."

Grimshaw said telecommunication staff, who work eight-hour shifts without a lunch break, receive roughly 18,000 to 22,000 911 calls each year, with a total of 150,000 to 175,000 calls coming into the dispatcher center.

Grimshaw and Behne both stressed the need for citizens to know what to do when making a 911 call. Those things include:

--Know where you are. Look for locations, streets addresses or other identifying landmarks that will assist dispatchers in sending emergency crews to the correct location.

--Don't text your 911 message. Many dispatch units don't have the ability to accept text messages.

--Use a land line instead of a cell phone if possible. Cell phone calls aren't always routed to the closest call center and it takes time to transfer the call to the correct call center.

--Stay calm and listen to the dispatcher. Officers who take 911 calls are there to "assist you with the problem" until help arrives. Stay on the line with the dispatcher until told your assistance is no longer needed.

--Know when to use the 911 service. It is appropriate to call 911 when you need to save a life, stop a crime or report a fire. Do not call 911 to seek information on administrative issues, weather conditions or school postponements

--Remain calm. Try to listen carefully to the dispatcher's instructions and give accurate information to the questions he asked.

If you have old cell phones that are deactivated, make sure you take the batteries out of the cell phone.

"Regardless if your telephone is deactivated, if the battery is still working, so is the 911 number," Grimshaw said.

"You don't know how many times we have received 911 calls from children playing with old cell phones their parents have give them."

Behne said the goal of every dispatcher is the same.

"When our officers or firefighters begin their shifts, our main goal is to keep them safe while helping the public in times of trouble," he said.

"If we can help the public and also help our officers end their shifts safely, then we've done our jobs.

"That's our goal every day we begin our shifts."

Copyright 2013 - The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa