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Mendon honors its dispatchers
By Paul Crocetti/Daily News staff
Saturday, April 07, 2007 - Updated: 10:12 PM EDT


One minute it's quiet. The next minute, 10 phone calls flood the line at once. Callers are worried, yelling, scared, maybe injured. There has been a car accident and people need help.
For public safety dispatchers, it's all in a day's work.
Dispatchers field 911 phone calls, keep callers calm if necessary, and determine how many paramedics and police cars to send.
But many people don't know about all of the work dispatchers do, said Robin Remillard, of the Mendon Police Department.
As a result, Remillard has organized the department's celebration of National Public Safety Telecommunicator week, which recognizes dispatchers.
"People have a common misperception about the job," said Remillard, a dispatcher in Mendon since 1999. "I think they think we just answer the phone."
The week, which begins today and runs through Saturday, will feature many activities for the three full-time and five part-time dispatchers in the town's Main Street office.
Chief Ernest Horn will present each dispatcher with a fleece jacket, funded by the town's dispatcher uniform allowance.
"What I think is important is people don't realize what goes on behind the scenes," Horn said. "(Dispatchers) are the vital link to help. They're kind of the unsung heroes."
Remillard contacted local businesses to donate gift cards, which will be raffled off to dispatchers throughout the week. Those businesses include Dunkin' Donuts, Alicante restaurant and the Mendon Xtra Mart.
There will also be brochures in the lobby for residents, one detailing the work of dispatchers and the other providing emergency information for children.
With all the calls that come through on any given day, there are bound to be some interesting ones. Some turn out to be a little less intense than first anticipated.
"We had a report of a man and a woman dropping off a girl at a house," Remillard said, explaining she originally thought a child had been left on someone's doorstep. "The officer goes out there, and it's a coat on top of a vacuum cleaner. To this day, we still laugh about it."
But even if a report sounds funny, dispatchers have to remain focused.
"You have to take everything seriously," Remillard said. "When that's done, you have to go on to the next thing. You can't process what just happened. You really have to ride a roller coaster."
Some callers threaten or swear at dispatchers, Horn said.
"They always have to keep their composure," he said. "With a bad accident, sometimes they get 15 to 20 calls. They get inundated. A lot of the time, people think they're the only call."
It is especially important to stay cool under pressure, because there is only one dispatcher on call at any given time, Remillard noted.
Jessica LeBlanc, a dispatcher in Mendon since 1997, said she has the hang of it now.
"It's a very busy environment," said LeBlanc, who lives in Blackstone. "You have to multitask all the time."
LeBlanc said she is excited about the upcoming week.
"It's nice to be recognized," she said.
National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week was started in 1981 to bring dispatchers' work into the spotlight. It now takes place during the second full week of April every year.
Departments across the state celebrate it in a variety of ways, from relaxing the dress code for dispatchers to buying them lunch or dinner, said Monna Wallace, the program director at the Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board. The state agency is responsible for coordinating the current 911 emergency system and last month awarded a $5,000 grant to the Mendon Police Department for dispatcher training.
Ways of celebrating the week are determined locally, Wallace said.
"It gets more popular every year," she said. "Communicators are the heart of public safety. Departments recognize that. They're taking advantage of the week."
In Uxbridge, Police Chief Scott Freitas said the Board of Selectmen will recognize dispatchers at its meeting this week.
Most Milford area dispatchers contacted by the Daily News knew of the week's existence but did not know of any events in honor of it.
Next year, Remillard may reach out to surrounding towns for a coordinated celebration of the week.
"It brings the public awareness about the job we do."
Paul Crocetti can be reached at 508-634-7583 or pcrocett@cnc.com.


http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x386012988

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Posted by: Danman1116

Good ta see the dispatchers gettin some credit. More often then not it's a thankless job Good for them!

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