Call of Duty

What is a true first responder? Many would say the term only encompasses precisely what is in the phrase “first responder.” It is someone who shows up first on the scene of an emergency.This definition has kept dispatchers from being recognized as first responders, not only federally but also at state levels and sometimes even within their agencies.

What exactly does a first responder do that would leave the 911 dispatcher out of the definition?

They are the first on the scene of an emergency. They help sort through the chaos to determine the steps required to mitigate the threat to life, safety, health or property. They coordinate resources and dictate the next steps for further risk management. That would round out the definition of a first responder.Our 911 dispatchers do all those actions without the ability to see what’s happening.

“Emergency operators and dispatchers are undoubtedly the first responders of first responders, serving at the center of emergency events, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, (365 days per year).These essential workers exercise quick-thinking, counseling, and guidance, frequently making the critical difference between life and death before help arrives,” said Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees union president Daniel Levler.

Yet, we are often classified as clerical or secretarial workers because there is paperwork or clerical duties we must do while organizing the chaos.

The long-standing staffing issues for dispatchers add to the burnout, trauma, and stress injuries of those who work in this profession.

Studies suggest that 911 dispatchers have PTSD and cumulative PTSD rates equal to or higher than their police and fire counterparts.

Ricardo Martinez, a former 911 dispatcher, started the #Iam911 movement more than a decade agoto show the world 911 dispatchers are not simply call takers, clerical or secretarial workers. He enlisted the help of dispatchers everywhere to share their stories of calls they had taken, or what they had experienced on the radio.

He received so much feedback that he turned it into two books,which became an entire movement within the dispatching community. He has granted permission to share these stories to further the mission of helping others understand the job more fully.

This is only a sample of the thousands of submissions.

Submission Excerpts More can be found at Within The Trenches and in _Imagine Listening Volumes I and II. _

The following are submissions from 911 dispatchers, and the content might be triggering. Please read with caution and seek help if you are struggling.

• “I listened to you scream for 20 minutes while you held your dead husband in your arms after he shot himself in the head.”
• “I kept calm and sent help while officers listened to the shots whizzing past them and hitting things next to them. I kept calling your call sign, waiting for you to respond, knowing in my heart you would never answer my radio call again.”
• “You called for help because your husband woke you up by making funny noises and needed help. I talked you through CPR … I heard your husband’s ‘death breath’ escape as you became too exhausted to continue the CPR rhythm and then hit your fists on his chest before screaming and begging for him to wake up because you married him at 16 and didn’t know how to live without him. Nearly four years later and I still randomly wake up in a panic because I dream about your screams as you bargain for the life of your loved one.”
• “I helped you hide from your dad when he told you to run or he would kill you too. Moments later, we heard the shots that took your mother and father from you. Your voice and those shots forever echo in my head.”
• “I tried to decipher your emergency through the screaming and crying. Your neighbor was able to tell me you found your husband hanging in your garage. I’ll never forget your cries and despair.”
• “I handled the fire that took your life. I will never forget your mayday radio calls, not ever.”
• “I was the last voice you ever heard as your family’s home went up in flames. Your screams are forever in my memory.”

It is imperative to understand that 911 dispatchers are not fighting for this designation because they desire to take away from what our field responders are doing, and the impact of what they do.Instead, it is a battle cry that we are in the trenches fighting with you, and while we cannot do it alone, neither can you while out in the field. We want to fight alongside our fellow first respondersand receive the same physical, emotional, mental, and organizational support as our field responders do.