911 dispatchers navigate mental and physical pressures while serving as the first point of contact for residents in crisis.
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week gives all of us a chance to understand pressures. Putnam County 911 Assistant Director Josh Womack said the profession requires staff to maintain constant focus on providing aid during life-altering emergencies.
“They’ve called you on the worst possible day of their life and it’s your job to get them the help that they need and so you just try to remember that, try to remember ‘Hey I’m here to help, I’m here to do whatever I can in this moment that that you’re having,’” Womack said.
White County 911 Director Suzi Haston said the role of a dispatcher extends far beyond answering phone calls, requiring staff to manage multiple emergency agencies and complex software applications simultaneously. Haston said the agency operates as a separate entity from the county and city governments while providing the primary communications link for all local emergency services.
“We get people when they’re in their darkest hour and we try to calm them and we work with them all through their call, whether it be something horribly bad or just a dog in their yard,” Haston said. “So we take every call as serious as the next one and the next one.”
Haston said the profession carries a high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges due to the nature of the work. Haston said staff members often deal with these pressures by talking through difficult calls with each other or seeking help from professional counselors.
Womack said dispatchers are trained to take immediate control of calls because callers are often frantic or unable to provide clear information. Womack said this authority allows the center to gather necessary details and dispatch resources as quickly as possible.
“I think it’s because they’re not seen, honestly, you know, like you said earlier that, you know, you see EMS, you see fire, you see law enforcement, but you never see the dispatchers,” Womack said. “They’re just a voice that you hear on the other end of the phone or the radio and nobody really even thinks to put those together, but if it wasn’t for the 911 dispatchers, then you know those agencies don’t get there.”
Womack said the dispatch center utilizes a rotation system to manage multiple emergencies involving fire departments and medical agencies. Womack said life-threatening calls always receive priority over non-emergency situations.
“Oh my gosh, teamwork inside the center is crucial,” Womack said. “You may have several things going on at once and if your partners can jump in and take some of that off of you, you know even if I’ve got to go in next door and take some of that off the dispatchers, that just makes everything run smoother. From the outside looking in, it looks chaotic, but it is a well-oiled machine once you get inside.”
Womack said clear communication with crews in the field is a top priority for the department. Womack said providing pertinent information to responders is a vital part of the job because it ensures the safety of both the crews and the patients.
“So the yeah there there are so many challenges and people don’t understand the the mental toll that it takes on a dispatcher, the physical toll that it takes on a dispatcher,” Womack said. “It takes a special person to do this job and to find that that balance of work and life and and not taking the stress home with you and and coping with the stress in healthy ways.”
“Because you’re taking on everything that that caller is saying, you’re taking that on so that you can relate to what they’re going through,” Haston said. “I believe that I was called to do this and I believe that God is always with me and so that is how I handle the stress or the sometimes when you have that overwhelming feeling.”
Haston said the job also takes a physical toll on employees who must remain at their stations for 12-hour shifts. Haston said dispatchers frequently sacrifice regular meal times and personal breaks to ensure emergency coverage remains constant.
“We give up family dinners, we give up holidays, we give up our kids’ and our grandkids’ ballgames, but it’s for the better good of our community,” Haston said. “So I just want the citizens to know that we’re here for them.”
Haston said the week of recognition provides a necessary morale boost for a staff that typically works out of the public eye. Haston said local businesses and other emergency agencies often provide donations and gifts to show appreciation for the 24-hour service provided by the center.
“We are the voice you hear and the face you never see,” Haston said. “And so it just is good, it makes you know that you are doing something good to take that week and just, you know, we get goodies from different companies, they donate things.”
Haston said individuals interested in becoming dispatchers must meet specific state and local guidelines and undergo extensive training. Haston said the process includes being cleared by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation because dispatchers handle sensitive data such as warrants and orders of protection.
“It takes really strong people to do all of that at one time,” Haston said. “We’re always, if anybody’s interested, we’re always open to talk with them and also get them an application and they just all they need to do is just contact us.”