Ron Lowrie, Chief Dispatcher with the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office, mans a number of computers and
phone lines, from his desk, making certain that all 9-1-1 calls are answered appropriately and quickly. The
system received an update in March of 2007, to better handle the calls received.
"Command Central"
What Happens When You Call 9-1-1?
by: Bobby McDonald
Hopkins County's 9-1-1 Emergency System is something that most of us take for granted. When we have an emergency, we expect someone that is trained and qualified to be on the other end of the line, and to direct services to meet our needs. However, did you ever stop to consider the number of calls that are received from Hopkins County each day and the nature of those calls?
Take the typical day at the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office, where five dispatchers work eight-hour shifts. Dispatchers come to work at 6:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m., when the shifts change. And, aggregately they dispense over 335 calls daily. Some 290 of those calls will be termed "non-emergency" calls. That is calls that do not require an ambulance or medical personnel, or does not require an officer's immediate response. These calls are your "there is a stray dog in my yard, and I need someone to come take care of it!" or "I think the neighbors left their water running and they are gone on vacation!" Or, perhaps it will be a call about cattle being out on the roadway or someone that has lost a dog or other pet, and wants someone to help them find it. "Being a rural northeast Texas county, we get a number of animal related calls," acknowledges Ron Lowrie, Chief Dispatcher for the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office. "We treat those calls with the utmost respect and try to solve the problem, if we can!"
Matt Steward is another of the dispatchers that aids in keeping information dispensed to officers
and makes certain that emergency responses are handled properly.
"Then, there are those calls that are emergencies, and many times our dispatchers must quickly get off the phone to handle some kind of emergency, when they are talking about someone's pet crisis," states Lowrie. "Take for instance the recent 'bomb threat' at Como-Pickton School. That incident had to be immediately taken care of and officers had to be dispatched to the scene as quickly as possible. We had officers that were already in that area, headed for the scene just as quickly as I could get them on the line!"
"It takes someone with a level head, that can gather the facts and be thinking ahead to the next step of contacting an officer, who is on the line to answer the calls," expressed Lowrie. "You must be able to think on your feet and gather all of the information, so that the officers can be dispatched to the emergency!"
"Dispatchers need the facts, and must keep the caller on the line, long enough to get locations, the type of assistance that is needed, and to assess the situtation in their mind enough to know what kind of scene the officer will be arriving to," continues Lowrie. "The more information that the caller can give, the better the response to the crisis!"
"You need a calming voice, that lets the caller know that you care and that you can get the help they need," indicated Lowrie. "Most of the time, in an emergency, the caller is excited and needs to take a deep breath, so they can tell you just what is happening!"
The calm voice of Ron Lowrie, Chief Dispatcher, could be the very person that is the voice of reason
when you find yourself in a crisis. He needs to know the facts and the location of where you are,
before he can dispatch officers to your location.
But, emergency calls aren't all the dispatcher is required to do. This is the central place for all officers to call in and ask for driver's license records to be run, outstanding warrant information to be checked, and all license plates to be run. "We're in constant contact with patrol officers all across the county," states Hopkins County Dispatcher, Matt Steward. "We're constantly dispatching information to them, so that they can identify those that they stop throughout the county!"
Then, when an arrest is made, the dispatchers must aid with the booking process and are required to be the "front-line" of asking a number of questions for those who "walk-in" at the front desk, in the Sheriff's Office.
"We wear a number of hats and try to put the person first in all that we do," expressed Steward. "Anytime I answer the phone, I try to remember that it could be my own family in a peril, that needed my help. That puts it all in perspective, so that you can deliver the best service possible!"
"The job is interesting!" confirms Lowrie, who had an accounting background, before coming to work about five years ago, at the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office. "There is always something happening and you never, ever have time to be bored!"
The staff at the Hopkins County Sheriff's office includes: Lowrie, as chief dispatcher, and Steward, Miranda Penson, David Ray, and Beth Robinson serving as dispatchers.
With over 300 calls answered on a daily basis, it is imperative that callers understand that the 9-1-1 Service is for emergencies and that any call that can be answered in some other department, should be directed there. And, should you have an emergency, please deliver the facts that are needed to make sure that the response to your crisis can be accurate and officers can arrive as quickly as possible!"
9-1-1.....
It saves lives and is
your friend when in need!
_______
