A look at who's on the phone when you dial 911

When you make a call to law enforcement, whether it’s an emergency or reporting a dog at large, the first person you’re going to talk to is a dispatcher.

Dispatcher Mel Kress explained there are two phones in the dispatch area — one for 911 calls and a normal administrative line. Calls on the 911 line have a different tone when they come in she said, which is important as they take priority. If the dispatcher happens to be on another call at the time, they let the person know they have to go or put them on hold.

“When a 911 call comes in we try to immediately answer it,” Kress said, though sometimes she might let it ring for a half second. She explained their mapping system is tied to the 911 system, and when answered immediately there isn’t a location check right away, so that half second allows time to get a location.

Dispatchers answer calls with “Where’s your emergency?” as opposed to “What’s your emergency?” Kress said, in order to get an address right away, particularly important if the mapping system hasn’t picked it up.

Once the call’s received, dispatchers begin entering an incident into the system, inputting information such as the nature of the call and the address while still on the phone with the caller. Officers are also sent if needed while on the phone. The dispatch recently got a new system, and Kress explained there is a button she can press to mute the phone, allowing her to talk to officers while still listening to the phone call.

Once the nature of the call is entered and she has the address, Kress said she gets people rolling to the scene while still on the phone with the reporting party. It can take some time for fire and ambulance personnel to respond, as they are largely volunteer organizations and people often have to leave their jobs or other activities, get to the fire hall and get the vehicles they need going to the scene. “So I at least try to get them going while I’m on the phone.”

After she sends out the initial page, she continues to gather information from the caller so she can relay it when fire or emergency personnel need it.

Typically there is only one dispatcher on duty at a time, and Kress said it can be a challenge when multiple calls are coming in to be able to answer them knowing that people on the other end might be a bit frantic. When multiple agencies are needed, she might have to disconnect with a caller to be able to dispatch them all. On top of that, calls come in on the administrative line for non-emergent situations and taking care of their needs isn’t always doable. “You try to do the best you can.”

If needed, other dispatchers and staff trained in dispatching can help.

As for the time it takes for personnel to respond on the scene, Kress said much of it depends on location of the officer in relation to the call. In town, it could take an officer two to three minutes and an ambulance six to eight.

When people call 911, Kress said, it is because they need somebody on their location right away. “It is a serious emergency to them. We ask they try to remain calm . . . If you are screaming at the phone and telling me to get somebody there now, and I don’t know where ‘there’ is, I can’t really help.” She said it’s important to try and remain calm and answer questions, giving as much basic pertinent details as possible, such as incident type, location, and whether there are any injuries. As the dispatcher remains on the line with the caller, he or she can gather that information and relay it after officers and other personnel are already on their way.

“My first priority is getting where you are, what’s going on and getting the people headed there as quickly as possible.”