HOMETOWN HEROES THE HAMMONTONIAN | OCTOBER 2023 | P . 13
by Jaime Wuillermin
Among the residents here in our community are a hidden bunch of heroes making our world a little safer one day or phone call at a time . One of these heroes is local resident , wife and mom Corrin Ponte .
Ponte grew up in Audubon , a small town in Camden County right outside of Philadelphia . She graduated from Stockton College hoping to get a fulltime career in criminal justice . Little did she know that a recession causing hiring freezes was up against her and another plan was in the works . Ponte ’ s banking job at Sun National Bank would keep her busy until July 2013 when she was offered a position with the 911 Center as a public safety telecommunicator / 911 ( PST / 911 ) dispatcher . She has been with the organization now for 10 years and two months .
Ponte ’ s job requires her to work 12- to-18-hour shifts , including weekend and holidays . Most dispatch centers , including the one Ponte works for , are critically understaffed and that creates many hours of forced overtime . Statistics from a survey on the 911 . gov website shows that more than half of 911 centers face a staffing crisis .
“ The physical and mental toll as a result of the long hours adds more stress to my job that already handles life and death calls regarding lives of citizens , police officers , firemen and emergency medical technicians who are all depending on us , the dispatchers ,” Ponte said .
According to Ponte , the center she works for handles 37 towns and her shift has her hidden behind a glowing monitor within a room of tinted windows that do not open which overlook other buildings and work trucks within the complex . The job of a PST / 911 dispatcher takes patience as 10 or more phones can be ringing at the same time while tones , beeping , portable radios and dispatchers are all flooding the communications floor .
“ It sounds like bees in a hive . The calls that come in can be anything from a dog barking complaint , suicide , active shootings , missing persons , police officers yelling in distress , all hands on a dwelling fire , physical domestics to working a CPR code while dealing with a fatal car accident .
“ One of the most stressful parts of the job is the unknown call , what is happening once everyone arrives on scene and what the end result is and this creates a hyper stimulation among the dispatchers because there is nothing we can do but stay in our seats and wait for the next traumatic call to come in ,” Ponte said .
PST / 911 dispatchers have shifts that last 12 to 18 hours and leave them returning home to become parent or spouse to their loved ones . Ponte ’ s home life is rewarding and demanding as she goes from dispatcher to mom and wife , taking on school work for her son , sports obligations , family functions , cleaning , cooking , laundry and errands . Finding time for herself in between is a chore in itself .
Ponte and her family have been living in Hammonton for three years . She is not the only hero in the household as her husband is a police officer . His job also demands long hours and high stress .
“ We remain a team and look out for each other as well as our seven-yearold son who is our world , Ponte said .
The couple take on opposite shifts allowing someone to always be available at home . Ponte ’ s husband , son and two dogs are what make her job most rewarding at the end of the day and keep her happy and safe .
“ Public safety families operate different because we do not take life for granted . At any given moment everything could change and be taken away ” she said .
There are many heroes living among us in our town . Friends and fellow parents standing with us in every day life . If you know someone you would like to see featured in The Hammonton Gazette as a fellow citizen and hero , call our office ( 609 ) 704-1939 .
Kristopher Austin , Vincent Austin and Corrin Ponte