Dispatchers: the first first responders

On September 11, Clarion Lights for a Cause and the Clarion Chamber and Development will officially kick of Wright County Heroes Week with a recognition of local first responders. Every week until then, we'll be highlighting one of our county's first response services, starting with dispatchers: the first people to hear about the emergency and get help on the scene.

The people

Colleen Meier, Wright County communications director, has worked in dispatch for 25 years. “I had family in law enforcement and I had a sister who was a dispatcher,” she said, making it natural for her to go into the field.

Vicki Fenske said she got into dispatch 10 years ago simply because she was looking for a job. She stuck with it. Many, however, do not—they find that the stress is too hard to take.

Other members of the Wright County Communications team are Wendy Palomino, Dawn Beauvais, Nesha Benton, Mindy Sawyer, Bret Thompson, Steve Reiland, and Tricia Brown.

Facts about dispatch

Wright County has had a dispatch center for the last 50 years, according to Meier. “There used to be just one line coming in here,” she said.

In 20015, they handled 11,987 calls—more than 30 calls a day. An average day might have five emergency calls, though it can be as few as two or as many as 10.

And in almost every case, the dispatchers may never know the outcome of an emergency, since there’s no good way to follow up. “We just sit there and wonder,” Fenske said. In recent years, dispatchers have been included in debriefings for particularly difficult calls, where the situation is explained and unpacked for the benefit of everyone involved. “I think that’s helped a lot,” Meier said.

To learn more about what disptchers do to keep us safe, see the August 18 edition of the Monitor.