By Kate Miller, Record Managing Editor
Most people don’t think about what goes into a call to 911, but they know when help arrives and saves the day.Saving the day is what first responders hope for, but they work in partnership with a lesser known group, the emergency dispatchers.What air traffic control is to airliners, dispatch is to emergencies.“A lot of people don’t even know what being a dispatcher is all about,” said Amy Ellard, administrator for the Warren County Emergency Services Dispatch Center.Dispatchers direct incoming calls from residents and first responders, react and keep a mental scorecard on every caller’s situation. At the same time, they are instructing, gathering and forwarding information to the right people, at the right time.“There’s so many more things going on behind the scenes,” Ellard said. “Two, three or four people could be working one call.”During the call, they ask a lot of questions.“Questions help paramedics decide a course of action. We do the same thing for police and fire calls too,” she said.The Warren County Emergency Services Dispatch Center provides dispatch and communications for five law enforcement departments, three fire districts and two ambulance services in Warren County.The staff picks up the phone 24/7 for emergencies and nonemergencies from residents and first responders. They prioritize calls, exchange critical information with callers and first responders. They help people through intense medical and criminal incidents, often as they are happening.Ellard said it is a fast-paced environment where people need to hear and act on multiple tasks at the same time. She said dispatchers have headsets on one ear, they’re answering phones on the other, filing and reporting on arrest warrants and they are always looking at multiple computer screens. Training is completed in baby steps over four to six months, and the work is not for everyone.“People have started the training and said ‘This is not what I thought it was,’ and then left,” Ellard said.The profile of a potential dispatcher is someone who thinks and acts fast, has a multitasking mind, a calm — but not too calm — demeanor and a willingness to work nights, days, weekends, long shifts and holidays.Ellard said she also looks at a candidate’s criminal record, job history and age. Dispatchers must be at least 18 and have a clean criminal record.Most of all, dispatchers need to respond to emergencies with steadiness and clarity because some calls, she said, can be high stress and heartbreaking.“You need to be able to turn off those emotions during the call and process the emotions later,” Ellard said.During her career, which started after high school in Montgomery County, Ellard has taken a lot of calls. A man once called to say he shot someone. A child once called to say someone she knew lost her purse.While some calls from kids are sweet, others are reminders of what they sometimes have to witness.“They’re the best callers because they tell the truth. They’ll tell you Dad is hurting Mom. They’re going to tell you every detail, whereas Mom might say ‘Everything’s fine, ” Ellard said.From July 30 to Aug. 5 the center took 1,446 outside line and responder calls combined. Of those, 194 calls were for traffic stops and 70 were for suspicious activity. During the month of July, they received 6,447 calls. For the year 2016, they received 64,271 calls.The Warren County Emergency Services Dispatch Center is not legally affiliated with any police department or fire or ambulance district in Warren County. Those relationships are coordinated to serve the public and meet or exceed regulatory requirements.The dispatch center is its own political subdivision with a board of directors who are elected to four-year terms. The seven-member board of directors are Chairman Davis Bernard, Vice Chairman Jonathan Struckhoff, Treasurer Ralph Hellebusch, Secretary Jeanne Deutch, Director H. Frank Stuermann, Director Jason Zwyers and Director Linda Gant.Its budget is funded by a county-wide half-cent sales tax.Improvements were made recently to the facility. New paint, flooring and sit or stand computer consoles were added. Two consoles were added where there were none. It was the first refresher since 1995.Ellard said the board is looking to next year’s budget to upgrade computer software that could add new 911 technologies, such as text to 911. Other improvements could also be included. Ellard said the center has openings for dispatchers. Training is on the job. A college degree is not required.Warren County Emergency Services Dispatch Center is located in an underground facility at 209 Highway U in Warrenton.For more information, or for assistance with a non-emergent event, call 636-456-7088. For an emergency, call 911.Correction: A previous version of this story inadvertently omitted the name of dispatch board member Linda Gant.Jon Yi, shown here, is a firefighter at the Warrenton Fire Protection District. He became a part-time dispatcher in 2014. Yi said as a firefighter, he knew the fundamentals of dispatch but, "Once I started the training I realized it was more in-depth than I thought. It's vigorous. It's attention to details and you have to be on top of your game. It's about keeping track and keeping order." Record photo/ Kate Miller.
