FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
After placing a call to 911, the first responder to answer before help arrives will be the calm voice of a public safety telecommunications professional or dispatcher.
This week, April 13 to 19, is recognized as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Dating back to the 1980s, the nation and the Defense Logistics Agency pause this week to celebrate and understand the lifesaving work the agency’s 911 dispatchers perform 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
In 2024, DLA’s 48 dispatchers at four host sites answered 1,914 emergency and non-emergency calls, said DLA Fire and Emergency Service Program Manager Matthew Ameden.
“These highly trained professionals are the vital link between you and the help you need,” Ameden said. “They’re the calm, reassuring voices in moments of chaos, gathering crucial information and dispatching police, fire and EMS personnel. They provide life-saving instructions over the phone, using emergency medical dispatch protocols, bridging the gap until emergency services arrive.”
For New Cumberland’s Communication Dispatcher Cheryl Emig in Pennsylvania, becoming a dispatcher was a childhood dream that became a 35-year career, spending three of them at DLA. Emig recalls watching law, police, emergency room and fire shows on television as a child, something she found interesting and later pursued as a career.
“In 1990, you would flip through the newspaper to look for a job. I had seen a listing in the newspaper for a dispatcher job in York County, Pennsylvania, and found it interesting, so I applied,” she said. “Unsure of what I wanted to do for a job at the time, I answered the ad and was hired on the spot.”
Before accepting an opportunity at DLA in 2022, Emig worked and retired from York County as a dispatcher after over 29 years. When comparing her experience with the county to DLA, she says the functionality of the job is the same, but the level of responsibility is different.
“Here we are only responsible for the installation, which is a smaller amount of people and area, so the volume of calls per day is a lot less in comparison to the county," she said. “At the county, you have a large amount of people covering several hundreds of square miles while also receiving several hundred calls per day.”
Emig said people seem to get upset when they call 911 because of the amount questions asked of them. What they may not know is that while Emig is asking them questions, someone else is behind the scenes sending help.
“We do a lot of medical calls here, so the calls are scripted based on our certification and the medical problem the caller describes,” she said. “I know in an emergency situation it may seem annoying and feel like it’s taking a long time, but typically the questions last about a minute and a half.”
Emig said the questioning really benefits the caller while ensuring they receive the right type of help. During the emergency call, she said it’s very important for the dispatcher to control the call, and for the caller to remain on the phone until the dispatcher tells them to disconnect.
Air Force veteran and Emergency Service Supervisor Kristal Compton worked 16 years as a dispatcher, four of them in Louisville, Kentucky, before coming to DLA 12 years ago. After leaving the Air Force, Compton said her son was born on Sept. 11, 2001. While watching the local news and unsure of her next job, she saw an advertisement needing 911 dispatchers. She applied because it was something she felt like she could do and would allow her to continue serving her community.
“We are here at some of the darkest times in a person’s life to assist in CPR or dispatch fire or EMS support,” she said. “What I find interesting about this role, people tend to call us more for non-emergencies but won’t call 911 when they have a problem like trouble breathing, a fall or chest pains.”
Compton said these things are emergent situations and would require a 911 call preferably on employees’ desk phones. When calling from a cellphone, 911 calls are answered by a local dispatcher off the installation and are routed back to DLA. She also recommended using the non-emergency line for general administrative questions or to report an incident to DLA police.
Compton and Emig shared a few do’s and don’ts to consider when making a 911 call.
911 Caller Do’s
- Know your location (i.e. building name, address and number, floor, workspace and cubicle).
- Remain calm, speak clearly and answer all the dispatcher’s questions as completely as possible.
- Follow the instruction of the dispatcher; it may save life or limb.
- DLA warehouse employees with portable handheld radios can activate the emergency button on the device, removing the need to place a 911 phone call.
911 Caller Don’ts
- Don’t scream or yell. It’s hard to hear needs or concerns.
- Don’t hang up before being told to do so by the dispatcher. They may require additional information.
- Don’t use a cellphone for an emergency call on the installation.
Emig said dispatching can be a very stressful and thankless job, but she still finds it rewarding. This National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, she wanted all DLA employees to remember and share sincere gratitude to her and her colleagues for their resilience, patience and dedication to the mission.