A dispatcher's job - stressful, rewarding

Every day, 911 dispatchers with the Havre Police Department answer calls for all kinds of emergencies - accidents, heart attacks, violence, premature births and much more.

The job, dispatchers say, is stressful and tremendously fulfilling.

If you call 911 from anywhere in Hill County, the Havre dispatchers will answer your call. They dispatch emergency units from Havre police and fire departments, Hill County Sheriff's Department, Rocky Boy agencies and emergency responders all over the the city and rural parts of the county.

This is National Telecommunications Week, and dispatchers think this is a good time to explain to the public what they can do and how people can help.

They figure that if people prepare themselves for the time they hope will never come - the time when they have to call in a 911 report - they will be much more helpful when an emergency rises.

First of all, try to stay calm, advised Brenda Kadrmas, the police department's senior 911 dispatcher.

She knows that's easier said than done, because people have just seen or been in a traumatic event. But explaining clearly what the problem is helps the four full-time and three part-time dispatchers determine which department they should dispatch to where.

"And don't yell," she said.

Upset people think if they yell louder, dispatchers will hear better.

But, especially on cellphones, it is often harder to understand, she said.

As events transpire, try to remember specifically what happened, she advised.

In hit-and-run car accidents, "finding out what make and color of car was involved is difficult," said Janie Hedstrom, dispatch supervisor. People often don't remember which direction the car drove away in, she said. That makes it much harder for police to find the person.

"Location is important," Hedstrom said.

When people call from cellphones inside a home, the city's equipment can usually determine where the caller is calling from, she said. But when they are outside, it is often difficult.

Sometimes people who happen upon an accident aren't quite sure exactly where they are. Often dispatchers direct them inside a home so they can track their cellphone. she said. Or they might direct them to a street corner to check signs.

This is especially hard when travelers spot an accident and are unfamiliar with the landscape, but dispatchers are usually successful in finding some nearby landmark where they can direct emergency personnel.

Often, especially in medical emergencies, they keep callers on the line until and sometimes after emergency personnel arrive at the scene.

Dispatchers have a flip-chart book that provides tips with various kinds of emergencies. This helps them talk the callers through their problems.

This kind of help allows callers to keep more calm and maybe provide initial help to sick or injured people, Hedstrom explained.

People should also know when not to call 911, Hedstrom said.

"Usually we say call 911 if something is in progress," she said.

If there is a burglary or robbery taking place or if any kind of medical emergency is happening, call 911, she said. Some well-meaning people call 911 with police matters that could be better served by calling the traditional police department numbers.

That leaves 911 dispatchers free to help people with emergencies that need immediate attention, Kadrmas said.

Most people don't realize that disabled cellphones are still able to call 911.

Often parents teach their children to call emergency services by practicing 911 on disabled phones.

But those calls get through to 911, she said.

If people or their children do mistakenly call 911, they should stay on the line, Kadrmas said. Dispatchers don't know if it was an embarrassed caller who hung up or a distressed person who had the phone yanked from their hands.

Officers are usually dispatched to the location of any such call, she said, even if dispatchers suspect the call is just a mistake.

Sometimes people call 911 for reasons that are totally inappropriate, they said.

Kadrmas said one person called when he wanted to cancel his subscription to the Great Falls Tribune.

"He said he called in a cancellation, and they kept delivering it," Kadrmas said. "He wanted us to do something."

Others call to find out the times of events taking place in the community.

"If you want information, call 411," she said. "If you have an emergency, call 911."

With this kind of job, Kadrmas said, there is always the chance of burnout. She said she hasn't felt that, but she knows some dispatchers get PTSD after unfortunate events.

"But I know some people who have been dispatchers for more than 20 years," she said.

They realize that many of people appreciate their work.

"They get lots of compliments," Hedstrom said. "Not as many as they deserve."

Kadrmas said she has had lots of interesting experiences in her job, but there is one she hasn't had yet.

"I've never helped deliver a baby," she said.

There is a page in their book that directs dispatchers through walking expectant mothers through delivery.

She came close a little while back.

A woman was going through premature delivery, and she called 911.

"They got her to the hospital just in time," she said.

She gave birth in the emergency room at Northern Montana Hospital.