All in a Days Excellent Service

This past week when burglars broke into a home in Camas, WA while a 10 year old was home alone, she didn't panic.  Instead she was able to hide while she called 9-1-1, and get help on the way!   CRESA dispatcher,  Rich Foster did what he and  the entire dispatch staff do on a daily basis,  he calmly helped the young girl find a safe place, kept her calm, while sending help to her house.

Paityn was home and didn't answer the door  last Tuesday when she saw there was a stranger outside.  As she hid and watched them break a downstairs window, she remained calm, and called 9-1-1.  With help from Dispatcher Rich, she safely made it out of the house and was able to hide behind a tree in the yard until help could arrive.

Here at CRESA, this is just one of the many calls the dispatch staff gets daily.  Their professionalism as they try to assist citizens on their "worst" day, while multitasking, sending responder's, answering radio traffic, sending directions, and verifying details make them usually the unsung hero when stories like these happen.
To those taking the calls on a daily basis, they know this comes with the job.

This story too, may have ended the same, with only a handful knowing one of the suspects was arrested and is cooperating with Law Enforcement if it wasn't for Paityn.  She wanted to meet the man on the other end of the phone that helped her.  With help from  KATU2 and picked up nationally by Good Morning America, Paityn was able to meet Dispatcher Rich and thank him personally  for what he has been doing for almost 33 years.   The Columbian also ran a story about Paityn and her cool under pressure response which would have most adults frantic.

We want to congratulate and recognize Rich for his awesome handling of this situation, but we want to say thanks and job well done to the entire Dispatch staff here at CRESA.  We are thankful to have you as part of the team, and the community should be proud to have such dedicated and caring folks answering the phones when you need them most.  Thank You for all you do!