IDAHO FALLS, REXBURG (KIFI)– While many people may have spoken with a dispatcher once or twice in their lives, most likely, you’ve never actually met one.
From April 14 to 18, law enforcement and communities across the nation recognize the unsung heroes behind 911 during National Dispatchers Week.
“In the family tree of law enforcement, I would say we’re probably the great-grandmother everyone kind of forgets about and doesn’t really check on later,” said Emergency Communications Officer Jordan Larsen. “Just because we’re just in the background and we get everything started, and then people come to us for information or advice. But we never really get to hear the ending of how the call ends.”
Working in dispatch requires speed, effective communication, multitasking, patience, and compassion. The level of stress that comes with this line of work is not for the weak-hearted. At times, dispatchers lose touch of their worth.
“They make a bigger difference than they think they do in the outcome of calls,” said Tyson Beckley, Dispatch Sergeant for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. “And that’s sometimes when you’re looking at a screen, is very easy to forget that you’re dealing with the lives of real people and these real outcomes. And just because you don’t see the outcome doesn’t mean that you’re not making a difference.”
Dispatchers work around the clock, with never-ending calls of crisis. They listen to hundreds of calls but never hear a thank you. Aside from getting very little appreciation, they say that’s not why they do it.
“I just always really want to help people. I really admire those who can go out and deal with it and see it in person. And I don’t think I could ever do that. But I really love still serving my community and helping in a way that I can, even if it’s not physically going out there,” said Larsen.
But this week, their effort are finally being honored.
“We had a lot of outreach from community partners and also local businesses, where they brought food, snacks, and other items. We even had a local massage therapist come and do little massages for the dispatchers just to kind of help them relax,” said Beckley.
Sergeant Beckley tells Local News 8 that there’s a bill called the ‘9-1-1 Saves Act’, and it’s to reclassify all 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders nationally.
They’ll still be working behind the scenes, but now they won’t be forgotten.
If a dispatcher has made a difference in your life, the Madison County Sheriff’s dispatch would love to hear your story shared on their Facebook page.
