GREENFIELD — They’re the voice you hear on the other end of the phone, the calm during the storm.
They’re the face you see at a police department and the liaison between the public and those who protect it.
They’re the dispatchers.
This weekend wraps up National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which recognizes the individuals some have called the unsung heroes of emergency services. Dispatchers and emergency telecommunicators don’t wear a badge or carry a firearm, but they work around the clock as the first line of assistance for those in their most vulnerable time.
The Greenfield Police Department has 10 dispatchers and Chief Robert Haigh Jr. said they are vital to law enforcement, a field notorious for its lack of predictability.
“You have to be able to keep your composure,” he said. “You have to be able to de-escalate the person on the other line. Regardless of what they’re calling for, they’re calling for your help and you don’t know what the reason might be.”
He said his dispatchers take 36,000 to 38,000 calls each year.
Greenfield dispatcher Sara Guidaboni makes her living among the 10 computers in the dimly-lit confines of GPD’s dispatch room. She spoke with The Recorder during a relatively calm period, though multiple emergency calls can flood in at once. The job is not for everyone — level-headedness and ability to multitask are paramount — but Guidaboni describes it as rewarding and fulfilling.
“I love it, honestly. It’s one of those jobs where you never get the same call twice,” she said in the GPD’s lobby. “It’s different every time, even if it might be the same type of call, it’s different every time. You never know what you’re going to get when you pick up the phone.
“You have that opportunity to really feel like you’ve really helped somebody, really made an improvement or a difference in somebody’s life, even if it is for only a moment,” she continued. “And I don’t think you get that with very many jobs.”
Montague Police Chief Charles “Chip” Dodge III said his department has five full-time dispatchers and three part-time dispatchers who handle all 911 calls. He said they also conduct warrant checks, monitor prisoners, help officers prepare police reports, and do clerical work at times.
“One of the biggest reasons it’s important to recognize the work of dispatchers is because their job is so much more than answering a phone. Contrary to the title of dispatcher or 911 operator, that is a very small part of their real job in this area,” he said. “They’re essentially a police officer without a badge.
“They have so many duties, it’s unbelievable.”
Dodge said his officers put their lives in the dispatchers’ hands and rely on them to be informed about emergency situations. For example, he said not knowing someone is armed and dangerous could have tragic consequences.
“They’re really a vital part of our organization. I just can’t say enough about them,” he said, adding that dispatchers also work with the local fire department on a limited basis. “You’ve got to be the right person and you’ve got to have what it takes.”
Dodge said his dispatchers are busiest from 3 to 11 p.m. This is also the shift Guidaboni works in Greenfield. Guidaboni said she worked at a bridal shop until becoming a dispatcher 8 years ago.
Dispatchers undergo a 40-hour course run by the state and a two-day course to become 911-certified before two to three months of training. Guidaboni said all GPD dispatchers also take 16 hours of continuing education courses every year.
Dodge said dispatchers go through a field training program when they are hired in Montague. It involves shadowing a working dispatcher, as well as learning how to use the record management system and how to handle calls. They, like their colleagues in Greenfield, undergo state training and must be 911-certified.
“Upon completing that, they receive as much training as they possibly need until they are confident enough to be able to do the job without assistance,” Dodge said.
Like many who work via a phone system, dispatchers are often at the receiving end of verbal abuse from frustrated people. Guidaboni said it is important to remember seconds feel like hours to those who call 911, and panic or fear can produce nastiness and impatience. Dispatchers are, in a sense, the first first responders.
Guidaboni said some officers even baked cookies for the dispatchers to show their appreciation this week.
“It’s like a family. You have your tiffs with people, but at the end of the day, we take care of each other,” she said.
You can reach Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 257
On Twitter, @DomenicPoli