HOMETOWN HERO Answering the call
For most , 9-1-1 Dispatch is the first point of contact in an emergency
STORY & PHOTOS BY MICHELLE WULFSON
As the first line of defense to
the community in a crisis , the Walker County Public Safety Communications Center emergency dispatchers have recently been recognized for the heroes they are .
The state of Texas recently changed the status of 9-1-1 dispatchers from secretarial to first responders in 2019 , giving them more benefits and recognition for a thankless job .
The Walker County Public Safety Communications Center is a county-wide center answering non-emergency calls , 9-1-1 and dispatch for the Walker County Sheriff ’ s Department , Huntsville Police Department , all fire departments , the Huntsville-Walker County Emergency Medical Services ( EMS ) as well as the Department of Public Safety ( DPS ) troopers assigned to the area .
“ It ’ s not one of those jobs where you come to work everyday and do the same thing . You come in having no idea what you ’ re going to deal with . It ’ s very challenging , and I think people are kind of drawn to that ,” Walker County Public Safety Communications Center director Deborah Gilbert said .
Gilbert started working with dispatch in 1994 as a part of the Huntsville Police Department . The Walker County Public Safety Communications Center was formed shortly after when the police department and sheriff ’ s department joined together in 2000 . The department has changed significantly since she started over 20 years ago , however , both Gilbert and her assistant director Anthony Tryon are still drawn to the challenge of the job and helping others in times of need .
Walker County ’ s communications center is a much smaller operation than is typical , however , their training far surpasses state mandates to ensure that although their team is smaller , the community still receives exceptional care .
“ In our center , because we ’ re a smaller center , they ’ re kind of doing it all . We have two or three people working at a time and they ’ re talking on the radio and they ’ re answering the phones , so there ’ s a lot of stress because of the kind of calls we ’ re handling ,” Gilbert said . “ Almost everyone we ’ re talking to is because it ’ s their worst day , something bad has happened . There ’ s also the multitasking on top of it , so it definitely takes a special person .”
The department has recently experienced an expansion , with the addition of two more positions , enabling them to go from four to six personnel on duty . The center will eventually be able to move from a horizontal flow to a vertical one with specific dispatchers tasked to handle each step of the process like in larger counties .
“ In some situations , this will also decrease the amount of time that it takes to get the call out ,” Tryon said .
The center also received an update with specialized furniture to meet their growing technological needs and create a more comfortable and efficient environment for dispatchers throughout their shift . Each station now features adjustable sitting to standing desks that accommodate seven monitors for each step of the dispatch process . It ’ s a drastic change from when Tryon started 20 years ago .
“ The job has become a lot more technical … we deal with different computer systems on a day-to-day basis , we access different information all throughout the day ,” Tryon said . “ 9-1-1 is going through a change right now , we ’ re moving into a new generation of 9-1-1 … When I first started out , we were dealing with probably 80 % of our call volumes were landline . Now , I ’ d probably say 85 % of our calls are wireless .”
They also receive text-in 9-1-1 as well as TTY and VCO systems calls .
“ All of those are kind of challenging because they present to us with different ways that we also have to be able to know how to receive the information as well as deal with the caller ’ s situation that they ’ re calling in about ,” Tryon said .
22 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2020