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A day on the job in south Pinellas County
By JOHN REINAN
You're what a layperson would call a 911 dispatcher, right?Yes. So you're the person on the phone when there's an emergency?When you call 911 in Pinellas County, it goes to Central Dispatch in Clearwater. They sort and direct the calls -- whether it's for fire, rescue or whatever. If it's a police call in the city of St. Petersburg, then you get me. How long have you been doing this?Almost five years. Do you have any special training?You have to have a GED, and you go through six weeks at the Police Academy. Then you have a minimum of three months with an instructor sitting with you while you take calls. What did you do before this job?I got a degree in microbiology from the University of South Florida, and I was a surgical assistant for a doctor. Then I stayed home with my kids for a couple of years. This is quite different from your background, then.When I was ready to go back to work, I wanted something different. I knew a woman who worked at Central Dispatch, and it seemed very interesting. It seemed exciting. Is it what you thought it would be?It has the excitement I wanted. There's something different every day -- you never know what you're going to face. Every day you learn something new. It seems like it would be a very stressful job.It's actually less stressful than I thought it would be. I think if you're doing your job well, you're helping the person in crisis, so then you feel good about it. That's not to say it isn't stressful at all. What kind of techniques do you use to calm people?You talk in a lower voice. If they're talking really fast, you talk slower. The main thing you do is reassure them that help is on the way. Have you ever been on the phone with someone who died while you were talking to them?I personally have not, but I've been around when other co-workers have had that situation. How do things like that affect you?I think you're so focused on getting your job done efficiently, getting the officer there, that you really don't focus on those other aspects. You can't take everything personally or you'd go crazy. You must get some weird calls.Oh, yes. People call us for everything from locking their keys in the car to getting lost to looking for a phone number. During the presidential election, I got a call from someone asking who had won. I told him it was not decided, and he didn't believe me. He thought the Police Department should know. What's your favorite part of the job?The fact that every day is something different. And I like the fast pace. What's your least favorite thing?That's easy: working on holidays. What kind of money do you make?The range is from $10.75 to $17.43 an hour. Most of us do some overtime fairly often. If you could have your dream job, what would it be?It would be this job. I love it here. I love the city and I love working for the Police Department.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
