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PROVO -- Several emergency dispatchers are being recognized for their work while handling 911 calls.
From traffic accidents to violent crimes to fires in progress, the dispatchers work to make sure help is on the way. The dispatchers are on the other end of the line when we call for emergency help.
Wednesday, several dispatchers and dispatch agencies were recognized for their work in tense and serious situations.
In a 911 call made on March 4, 2010, Genevieve White, a dispatcher for Provo police, helped stop the attempted kidnapping of a 4-year-old girl.
After White answered the emergency call, she asked, "What do you need the police for?"
"I have a guy who has been stalking my house and he's been out here screaming about killing my kids," the caller said.
"Is he there now?" White asked.
The caller replied, "He's about three houses down screaming stuff at me right now."
White quickly dispatched police, who dissolved the situation and arrested the suspect.
She was honored by her peers of Utah Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications on Wednesday.
White offers this advice she believes is critical when someone calls 911: "Try to stay calm and give us the address where they are at," she said. "That's the first thing we really need, is the address."
Other dispatchers were recognized for handling a wide variety of emergency situations.
"It's just not one person, it is a team effort," said Tooele County Sheriff's Dispatch Cherell Mihailovich. "It's nice to be recognized for an individual effort, but it really is just a team effort."
The dispatchers are honored not just for taking the calls, but making sure a 911 call is quickly answered.
"With the growth in Tooele County we felt we need to grow with the community, and so we built a bigger center and improved our technology," said Tooele County Sheriff's Dispatch Lt. Regina Campbell. "We bought a new phone system and upgraded our CAD (computer-assisted dispatch) system, and so we have a better facility and can better respond to the needs of our residents."
Other dispatchers were honored Wednesday, along with dispatch agencies, for their efforts during emergencies.
It's a job these dispatchers say is always rewarding.
"I've been a dispatcher for six years and I love it," White said. "I can't see myself doing anything else. It's a really great job."
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
