This is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week as a way to recognize the men and women who staff our 9-1-1 emergency lines.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon says dispatchers do so much more than answer the phones, as they guide callers through steps to ensure they’re safe before help arrives, and they provide lifesaving instructions during heart attacks and other critical EMS calls.  “We have a really an excellent staff of dispatchers, experienced,” Kennon says, “and if you’ve ever called 911, you’ve probably experienced good customer service.”

Kennon said there’s always someone on-duty to take calls. “They have to man that position 24-seven, 365 days a year, whether it’s Christmas morning, New Year’s Eve, there is a dispatcher,” Kennon says. “It’s one of those positions that you have to have somebody there and it’s not always easy.”

He notes, it takes a special kind of person to handle the stress when you’re dealing with multiple calls or developing events. “It’s not for everybody,” he says. “There’s difficult calls you can get. You have to be a multitasker. It can be a very difficult job and it’s one of those jobs that, you know, nothing is happening for maybe quite a while, and then all hell breaks loose.” Kennon says it can be a rewarding job, especially when the dispatcher is able to help save lives, like by providing the caller with instructions on how to perform CPR.

He says if there’s a situation where you don’t know whether to call the emergency or non-emergency line, go ahead and call 9-1-1 and they’ll direct you to the appropriate place.

(By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic)