WARREN, Mich. – They call themselves the first, first responders and their work is essential.
“The dispatch center is really the epicenter of it all, where your 911 call goes; this is where it all starts,” said Lt. John Gajewski, with Warren Police. “Officers, firefighters, paramedics aren’t able to do their jobs without the help of these men and women.”
This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which acknowledges the work of these behind-the-scenes heroes.
In Warren, the third-largest city in the state, a typical shift sees 300+ calls.
“Every second is different; one minute you can be taking a call for a child not breathing, next thing you can take something that’s silly to us, maybe not silly to a citizen,” said Ciearra Mendelson.
On a typical shift, she assists officers on patrol by running names and license plate information.
We met shift supervisor Laura Myers as she was taking 911 calls.
“You have to be multitask-oriented, detail-oriented,” said Myers.
Over her 24 years on the job, Myers has taken countless calls and works to gather all of the necessary information to connect people with the lifesaving help they need.
She often says the phone calls are brief but informative. And just because she doesn’t see the people she helps, she does think of them.
“Every once in a while, I’ll go home, and I’ll be like, I wish I could call them tomorrow to see how they’re doing after you walk someone through CPR, but it’s not proper,” Myers said.
Sometimes, though, people reach back out.
“People will call to say thank you; it’s nice being recognized by your own department, too,” Myers said.
She hopes more people will consider joining their team. Like many industries and organizations, they’re looking for downskilled workers who want to make a difference.
“People are calling 911 arguably on the worst day of their life, and they need professional, calm, empathetic people on the other line to get them the help that they need,” said Lt. Gajewski.
As far as what they’re looking for, people can multitask and handle working in a fast-paced environment.
No prior experience is necessary, and if that sounds like something you might be interested in, Lt. Gajewski says, “We’ve got a spot for you.”
