CRESA Celebrates Four Life Saving Awards

Here at CRESA we are very proud of our dedicated and highly professional team.  From time to time we get the opportunity to spotlight a few of those individuals who do an amazing job daily and in these cases, helped save a life.

The Life Saving Award is given to a 9-1-1 Dispatcher who use Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Protocols to give lifesaving instructions to a caller and the patient survives.  In the cases highlighted here,  Dispatchers quickly recognize the need for CPR and instructed the callers on how to start chest compression's while keeping them calm, reassured and focused until paramedics arrive. 

During last week's CRESA Board of Directors Meeting, three 9-1-1 dispatchers were awarded the Life Saving Award... 

Sally Dexter:  

Pictured Left to Right: Sally Dexter; CRESA Board Chair,
Don Cheney; CRESA Director, Anna Pendergrass 

Sally answered a 9-1-1 call from a male subject who stated he needed and ambulance for his friend who is down on the ground and blue.  l   After some time in the hospital the patient was released from the hospital and sent home independently.  

Pictured Left to Right: Kira Yager; CRESA Board Chair, 
Don Cheney; CRESA Director, Anna Pendergrass 

Kira Yager:

Kira answered a 9-1-1 call with woman who was very upset trying to report her 16 year old son was unconscious and not breathing.

Jackie Piggot:  (Receiving two awards)

Pictured Left to Right: Jackie Piggot; CRESA Board Chair, 
Don Cheney; CRESA Director, Anna Pendergrass 

1st Award:

Jackie answered a 9-1-1 call  with a male caller who was reporting his 48 year old girlfriend unconscious and not breathing.  .

2nd Award: 

Jackie answered a 9-1-1 call with a female caller who was reporting her boyfriend was unconscious and not breathing normally.  The patient was transported to the hospital and then left the hospital against medical advice, he did have relatively normal neuro functioning upon leaving.

These four awards highlight the importance of early CPR in saving lives in Clark County!!  We continue to encourage everyone to be trained in Hands Only CPR.  Take a minute to watch the Hands-Only Demo  below,  your knowledge could save a life!! 

A Tribute to Dispatchers

This tribute was written in 1994 in one of the early years of officially recognizing Public Safety Telecommunicators.  Its sentiments are still relevant today (even if some of the references are dated).
 

By Chief Thomas Wagoner
Loveland (Colorado) Police Department

Someone once asked me if I thought that answering telephones for a living was a profession. I said, "I thought it was a calling."

And so is dispatching. I have found in my law enforcement career that dispatchers are the unsung heroes of public safety. They miss the excitement of riding in a speeding car with lights flashing and sirens wailing. They can only hear of the bright orange flames leaping from a burning building. They do not get to see the joy on the face of worried parents as they see their child begin breathing on its own, after it has been given CPR.

Dispatchers sit in darkened rooms looking at computer screens and talking to voices from faces they never see. It's like reading a lot of books, but only half of each one.

Dispatchers connect the anxious conversations of terrified victims, angry informants, suicidal citizens and grouchy officers. They are the calming influence of all of them-the quiet, competent voices in the night that provide the pillars for the bridges of sanity and safety. They are expected to gather information from highly agitated people who can't remember where they live, what their name is, or what they just saw. And then, they are to calmly provide all that information to the officers, firefighters, or paramedics without error the first time and every time.

Dispatchers are expected to be able to do five things at once-and do them well. While questioning a frantic caller, they must type the information into a computer, tip off another dispatcher, put another caller on hold, and listen to an officer run a plate for a parking problem. To miss the plate numbers is to raise the officer's ire; to miss the caller's information may be to endanger the same officer's life. But, the officer will never understand that.

Dispatchers have two constant companions, other dispatchers and stress. They depend on one, and try to ignore the other. they are chastened by upset callers, taken for granted by the public, and criticized by the officers. The rewards they get are inexpensive and infrequent, except for the satisfaction they feel at the end of a shift, having done what they were expected to do.

Dispatchers come in all shapes and sizes, all races, both sexes, and all ages. They are blondes, and brunettes, and redheads. They are quiet and outgoing, single, or married, plain, beautiful, or handsome. No two are alike, yet they are all the same.

They are people who were selected in a difficult hiring process to do an impossible job. They are as different as snowflakes, but they have one thing in common. They care about people and they enjoy being the lifeline of society-that steady voice in a storm-the one who knows how to handle every emergency and does it with style and grace; and, uncompromised competence.

Dispatchers play many roles: therapist, doctor, lawyer, teacher, weatherman, guidance counselor, psychologist, priest, secretary, supervisor, politician, and reporter. And few people must jump through the emotional hoops on the trip through the joy of one caller's birthday party, to the fear of another caller's burglary in progress, to the anger of a neighbor blocked in their drive, and back to the birthday caller all in a two-minute time frame. The emotional rollercoaster rolls to a stop after an 8 or 10 hour shift, and they are expected to walk down to their car with steady feet and no queasiness in their stomach-because they are dispatchers. If they hold it in, they are too closed. If they talk about it, they are a whiner. If it bothers them, it adds more stress. If it doesn't, they question themselves, wondering why.

Dispatchers are expected to have:

• the compassion of Mother Theresa
• the wisdom of Solomon
• the interviewing skills of Oprah Winfrey
• the gentleness of Florence Nightingale
• the patience of Job
• the voice of Barbara Streisand
• the knowledge of Einstein
• the answers of Ann Landers
• the humor of David Letterman
• the investigative skills of Sgt. Joe Friday
• the looks of Melanie Griffith or Don Johnson
• the faith of Billy Graham
• the energy of Charo
• and the endurance of the Energizer Bunny

Is it any wonder that many drop out during training? It is a unique and talented person who can do this job and do it well. And, it is fitting and proper that we take a few minutes or hours this week to honor you for the job that each of you do. That recognition is overdue and it is insufficient. But, it is sincere.

I have tried to do your job, and I have failed. It takes a special person with unique skills. I admire you and I thank you for the thankless job you do. You are heroes, and I am proud to work with you.

It's National Telecommunicator Week at CRESA

Emergency call takers and dispatchers handle calls from people during some of the worst moments of their lives and are often the unsung heroes of public safety. 

In an effort to recognize their efforts, a special week was created for them in the early 1990’s. This year April 8-14th marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.

Your telecommunicator, which is your 911 call takers and dispatchers, are actually the first responders to an emergency and you rarely hear about these people. So Congress, at the request of two major organizations, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), decided it was time to recognize them. 

At CRESA, we try and say thank you from the Management and, of course, get some publicity for them because they are our community's unsung heroes. The only time you ever really hear about them is when somebody makes a mistake not when they save a life, deliver a baby and get the right equipment to the right scene despite all the red tape and difficulties that emergency operations always seem to run into. It’s high stress and you could say a thankless job. 

This job requires a unique individual. It's not just answering phones. It's dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives. Nobody calls CRESA when it's a good day.  

We have extensive pre-employment testing. We may test 150 people at a time and end up with three or four applicants that are suitable. Telecommunicators go through 18-20 months of training before they're capable of being released to take calls and dispatch police, fire and EMS. 

Employees are trained as call takers first and then move on to dispatching police, fire and medical responders.  Telecommunicators at CRESA’s 9-1-1 Center handle an average of over 31,000 telephone calls per month.

They handle calls from people during some of the worst moments of their lives and are often the unsung heroes of public safety. They are emergency call takers and dispatchers. And in an effort to recognize their efforts, a special week was created for them in the early 1990’s. This year April 10 through April 16 marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. The 911 Call Center, located at 911 Hodges Street in Lake Charles, is inviting the public to an Open House during this special week, on April 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., so that the public may see what the call takers do and thank them for their hard work.
"Your telecommunicator, which is your 911 call taker, your desk personnel at the police or sheriff's office, are actually the first responders to an emergency and you never hear about these people. So Congress, at the request of two major organizations, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), decided it was time to recognize these people. What we do around here is we try and say thank you from the staff and, of course, get some publicity for them because they're the unsung heroes. The only time you ever really hear about them is when somebody makes a mistake not when they save a life, deliver a baby and get the right equipment to the right scene despite all the red tape and all the difficulties that emergency operations always seem to run into. It's high stress and, you could say thankless, job. You work just as hard as that patrolman or fireman or deputy sheriff. You work the same hours and same holidays away from your family, generally for a lower level of pay. Hard-working, dedicated people are what it takes to do the job," said Robert V. Martin, Executive Director of the 911 Call Center in Lake Charles.
According to Martin, you have to have a special type of personality to deal with the public in their worst moments.
"This is the type of job that requires a unique individual. It's not just answering phones. It's dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives. Nobody calls up here when it's a good day. They only call when everything is falling apart around them,” said Martin.
“We have extensive pre-employment testing. We may test 150 people at a time and we'll end up with three or four applicants that are suitable out of that. We go through right at a year of training before we feel that they're capable of handling public requests. So it's a detailed process that runs almost $110,000 per person the first year in training expenses,” he added. “We train them as emergency medical dispatchers. The ones that make it more than three years here prove themselves capable of handling emotions and demands of people during crisis."
Call takers at the local 911 Call Center handle an average of 15,000 calls per month.They handle calls from people during some of the worst moments of their lives and are often the unsung heroes of public safety. They are emergency call takers and dispatchers. And in an effort to recognize their efforts, a special week was created for them in the early 1990’s. This year April 10 through April 16 marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. The 911 Call Center, located at 911 Hodges Street in Lake Charles, is inviting the public to an Open House during this special week, on April 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., so that the public may see what the call takers do and thank them for their hard work.
"Your telecommunicator, which is your 911 call taker, your desk personnel at the police or sheriff's office, are actually the first responders to an emergency and you never hear about these people. So Congress, at the request of two major organizations, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), decided it was time to recognize these people. What we do around here is we try and say thank you from the staff and, of course, get some publicity for them because they're the unsung heroes. The only time you ever really hear about them is when somebody makes a mistake not when they save a life, deliver a baby and get the right equipment to the right scene despite all the red tape and all the difficulties that emergency operations always seem to run into. It's high stress and, you could say thankless, job. You work just as hard as that patrolman or fireman or deputy sheriff. You work the same hours and same holidays away from your family, generally for a lower level of pay. Hard-working, dedicated people are what it takes to do the job," said Robert V. Martin, Executive Director of the 911 Call Center in Lake Charles.
According to Martin, you have to have a special type of personality to deal with the public in their worst moments.
"This is the type of job that requires a unique individual. It's not just answering phones. It's dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives. Nobody calls up here when it's a good day. They only call when everything is falling apart around them,” said Martin.
“We have extensive pre-employment testing. We may test 150 people at a time and we'll end up with three or four applicants that are suitable out of that. We go through right at a year of training before we feel that they're capable of handling public requests. So it's a detailed process that runs almost $110,000 per person the first year in training expenses,” he added. “We train them as emergency medical dispatchers. The ones that make it more than three years here prove themselves capable of handling emotions and demands of people during crisis."
Call takers at the local 911 Call Center handle an average of 15,000 calls per month.They handle calls from people during some of the worst moments of their lives and are often the unsung heroes of public safety. They are emergency call takers and dispatchers. And in an effort to recognize their efforts, a special week was created for them in the early 1990’s. This year April 10 through April 16 marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. The 911 Call Center, located at 911 Hodges Street in Lake Charles, is inviting the public to an Open House during this special week, on April 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., so that the public may see what the call takers do and thank them for their hard work.
"Your telecommunicator, which is your 911 call taker, your desk personnel at the police or sheriff's office, are actually the first responders to an emergency and you never hear about these people. So Congress, at the request of two major organizations, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), decided it was time to recognize these people. What we do around here is we try and say thank you from the staff and, of course, get some publicity for them because they're the unsung heroes. The only time you ever really hear about them is when somebody makes a mistake not when they save a life, deliver a baby and get the right equipment to the right scene despite all the red tape and all the difficulties that emergency operations always seem to run into. It's high stress and, you could say thankless, job. You work just as hard as that patrolman or fireman or deputy sheriff. You work the same hours and same holidays away from your family, generally for a lower level of pay. Hard-working, dedicated people are what it takes to do the job," said Robert V. Martin, Executive Director of the 911 Call Center in Lake Charles.
According to Martin, you have to have a special type of personality to deal with the public in their worst moments.
"This is the type of job that requires a unique individual. It's not just answering phones. It's dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives. Nobody calls up here when it's a good day. They only call when everything is falling apart around them,” said Martin.
“We have extensive pre-employment testing. We may test 150 people at a time and we'll end up with three or four applicants that are suitable out of that. We go through right at a year of training before we feel that they're capable of handling public requests. So it's a detailed process that runs almost $110,000 per person the first year in training expenses,” he added. “We train them as emergency medical dispatchers. The ones that make it more than three years here prove themselves capable of handling emotions and demands of people during crisis."
Call takers at the local 911 Call Center handle an average of 15,000 calls per month.They handle calls from people during some of the worst moments of their lives and are often the unsung heroes of public safety. They are emergency call takers and dispatchers. And in an effort to recognize their efforts, a special week was created for them in the early 1990’s. This year April 10 through April 16 marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. The 911 Call Center, located at 911 Hodges Street in Lake Charles, is inviting the public to an Open House during this special week, on April 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., so that the public may see what the call takers do and thank them for their hard work.
"Your telecommunicator, which is your 911 call taker, your desk personnel at the police or sheriff's office, are actually the first responders to an emergency and you never hear about these people. So Congress, at the request of two major organizations, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), decided it was time to recognize these people. What we do around here is we try and say thank you from the staff and, of course, get some publicity for them because they're the unsung heroes. The only time you ever really hear about them is when somebody makes a mistake not when they save a life, deliver a baby and get the right equipment to the right scene despite all the red tape and all the difficulties that emergency operations always seem to run into. It's high stress and, you could say thankless, job. You work just as hard as that patrolman or fireman or deputy sheriff. You work the same hours and same holidays away from your family, generally for a lower level of pay. Hard-working, dedicated people are what it takes to do the job," said Robert V. Martin, Executive Director of the 911 Call Center in Lake Charles.
According to Martin, you have to have a special type of personality to deal with the public in their worst moments.
"This is the type of job that requires a unique individual. It's not just answering phones. It's dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives. Nobody calls up here when it's a good day. They only call when everything is falling apart around them,” said Martin.
“We have extensive pre-employment testing. We may test 150 people at a time and we'll end up with three or four applicants that are suitable out of that. We go through right at a year of training before we feel that they're capable of handling public requests. So it's a detailed process that runs almost $110,000 per person the first year in training expenses,” he added. “We train them as emergency medical dispatchers. The ones that make it more than three years here prove themselves capable of handling emotions and demands of people during crisis."
Call takers at the local 911 Call Center handle an average of 15,000 calls per month.They handle calls from people during some of the worst moments of their lives and are often the unsung heroes of public safety. They are emergency call takers and dispatchers. And in an effort to recognize their efforts, a special week was created for them in the early 1990’s. This year April 10 through April 16 marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. The 911 Call Center, located at 911 Hodges Street in Lake Charles, is inviting the public to an Open House during this special week, on April 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., so that the public may see what the call takers do and thank them for their hard work.
"Your telecommunicator, which is your 911 call taker, your desk personnel at the police or sheriff's office, are actually the first responders to an emergency and you never hear about these people. So Congress, at the request of two major organizations, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), decided it was time to recognize these people. What we do around here is we try and say thank you from the staff and, of course, get some publicity for them because they're the unsung heroes. The only time you ever really hear about them is when somebody makes a mistake not when they save a life, deliver a baby and get the right equipment to the right scene despite all the red tape and all the difficulties that emergency operations always seem to run into. It's high stress and, you could say thankless, job. You work just as hard as that patrolman or fireman or deputy sheriff. You work the same hours and same holidays away from your family, generally for a lower level of pay. Hard-working, dedicated people are what it takes to do the job," said Robert V. Martin, Executive Director of the 911 Call Center in Lake Charles.
According to Martin, you have to have a special type of personality to deal with the public in their worst moments.
"This is the type of job that requires a unique individual. It's not just answering phones. It's dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives. Nobody calls up here when it's a good day. They only call when everything is falling apart around them,” said Martin.
“We have extensive pre-employment testing. We may test 150 people at a time and we'll end up with three or four applicants that are suitable out of that. We go through right at a year of training before we feel that they're capable of handling public requests. So it's a detailed process that runs almost $110,000 per person the first year in training expenses,” he added. “We train them as emergency medical dispatchers. The ones that make it more than three years here prove themselves capable of handling emotions and demands of people during crisis."
Call takers at the local 911 Call Center handle an average of 15,000 calls per month. They handle calls from people during some of the worst moments of their lives and are often the unsung heroes of public safety. They are emergency call takers and dispatchers. And in an effort to recognize their efforts, a special week was created for them in the early 1990’s. This year April 10 through April 16 marks National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. The 911 Call Center, located at 911 Hodges Street in Lake Charles, is inviting the public to an Open House during this special week, on April 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., so that the public may see what the call takers do and thank them for their hard work.
"Your telecommunicator, which is your 911 call taker, your desk personnel at the police or sheriff's office, are actually the first responders to an emergency and you never hear about these people. So Congress, at the request of two major organizations, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), decided it was time to recognize these people. What we do around here is we try and say thank you from the staff and, of course, get some publicity for them because they're the unsung heroes. The only time you ever really hear about them is when somebody makes a mistake not when they save a life, deliver a baby and get the right equipment to the right scene despite all the red tape and all the difficulties that emergency operations always seem to run into. It's high stress and, you could say thankless, job. You work just as hard as that patrolman or fireman or deputy sheriff. You work the same hours and same holidays away from your family, generally for a lower level of pay. Hard-working, dedicated people are what it takes to do the job," said Robert V. Martin, Executive Director of the 911 Call Center in Lake Charles.
According to Martin, you have to have a special type of personality to deal with the public in their worst moments.
"This is the type of job that requires a unique individual. It's not just answering phones. It's dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives. Nobody calls up here when it's a good day. They only call when everything is falling apart around them,” said Martin.
“We have extensive pre-employment testing. We may test 150 people at a time and we'll end up with three or four applicants that are suitable out of that. We go through right at a year of training before we feel that they're capable of handling public requests. So it's a detailed process that runs almost $110,000 per person the first year in training expenses,” he added. “We train them as emergency medical dispatchers. The ones that make it more than three years here prove themselves capable of handling emotions and demands of people during crisis."
Call takers at the local 911 Call Center handle an average of 15,000 calls per month.

This week, at CRESA, we're planning a number of fun things!  On Tuesday, at 9:45 a.m., the Board of County Commissioners will be reading a proclamation to honor this week.  These meetings are open to the public if you'd like to show your support in person to our agency.  

But even more important than the official recognition is the fact that each of us have a special opportunity to just say "thanks" to our local telecommunicators.  You can do so super easily here in Clark County, by choosing the following ways to share your thanks by:

• Commenting here on our blog,
• If you receive the blog via email, just reply back to the email, 
• Drop a comment on our Facebook Page,
• Tweet to us by including @CRESA in your 140 characters, 
• Email us at cresa@clark.wa.gov, or 
• Send a card to 710 W 13th ST, Vancouver, WA 98660. 

We're proud of all of our employees here at CRESA and hope that you are, too!