On April 6, family and friends gathered together for the 17^th annual Organization of Public Safety Telecommunicators (OPST) Dispatcher Awards Banquet at Cal Expo. Eighteen Sacramento area public dispatch centers were represented at the banquet, including the City of Roseville.

Police, fire and EMT dispatchers are the unsung heroes in the ranks of first-responders. They work tirelessly behind the scenes,  diligently receiving and then relaying critical information to the feet on the street.

One wrong piece of information could result in tragedy.

As 911 emergency calls come in, the dispatcher acts as a conductor, coordinating operations, directing information, and responding to victims to ensure they remain calm during a crisis, all to ensure the best possible outcome.

In the City of Roseville, dispatchers are responsible for dispatching police, fire and other emergency personnel including Animal Control.

Lisa Smelser

Each year the Roseville police and fire departments each select a dispatcher who exemplifies a command of all aspects of their job.

This year the honorees were Lisa Smelser and Trisha Stojkovich.

Lisa Smelser was selected by the Roseville Fire Department as Fire Dispatcher of The Year. An EMT and a graduate of Sierra College Fire Academy, Lisa brings a special skill set to her role as dispatcher,  clearly demonstrating a thorough knowledge of the logistical aspects of the fire department.

The fire department wrote of Lisa, “Her knowledge, skill and team approach have greatly contributed to the success of each and every drill she has participated in. She keeps us safe, she has our back and she does an amazing job,” the department went on to say she is, “Always willing to help…excellent at emergency medical dispatching…truly a pleasure to work with…the quiet worker behind the scene…always has a smile on her face.”

Lisa also re-wrote and currently maintains the dispatch fire training manual.

Trisha Stojkovich

Trisha Stojkovich was selected by the Roseville Police Department as the Police Dispatcher of The Year.

The police department lauded over Trisha saying she, “goes above and beyond on a consistent basis. She always anticipates the needs and requests of her teammates.”  The department continued, “If you ask for information, she will dig and dig. Her tenacity has helped put “bad guys” in jail numerous times. She has skills beyond her years. A great sense of humor, fun to work with, a hard worker and an absolute asset to our department.”

Trisha was kind enough to answer some questions and share her thoughts about being a dispatcher.

Talking about what the award means to her, Trisha said, “It means I am respected and appreciated by my peers as much as I respect and appreciate them. I feel very fortunate to work with people who love their job as much as I do.”

According to Trisha the most difficult part of her job is taking control of a situation over the phone. “There is only so much I can do over the phone. If a mother is panicking because her baby is not breathing, I can only try to calm her and instruct her over the phone. Taking control of a situation over the phone is extremely difficult and frustrating. All we have is our voice”

Once officers arrive on the scene, dispatchers are updated regularly, checking databases, coordinating additional resources, but in some cases they may not get the rest of the story, as Trisha points out, “We hear and deal with the beginning of every call, we don’t always know what happens at the end. The majority of the time we do not get closure, we don’t have time because the next 911 line is ringing.”

It’s difficult for a dispatcher when an officer is in an emergency situation. The dispatcher can only wait and hope for the best outcome. An example that Trisha shared was the time an officer was in a fight and his radio continued to cut in and out, all she could hear were the sounds of the struggle. She said, “I don’t think I breathed until another officer got on scene and they went Code 4, meaning no further assistance needed.”

When Trisha was just starting out as a dispatcher she quickly learned how important it was to communicate effectively, but more importantly, accurately. Officers and medical personnel were responding to a male down. The call taker noted that the reporting party said that he was, “unable to rouse the subject.” As Trisha tells it, she made the blooper tapes when she relayed the information, telling the officers “The RP is unable to arouse the subject,” as both sides of the conversation burst into laughter.

911 hang-ups are probably one of the most frustrating problems dispatchers face. As Trisha points out, much of the public does not understand how the 911 system works. If you mistakenly dial 911, or are testing your phone, once you hit the second “1” the call goes through, regardless if you hang up immediately.

She urges anyone who is testing 911 or mistakenly dials 911, to stay on the line so the dispatcher can verify right away that everything is okay. Otherwise they will have to dispatch an officer to the location to confirm that everything is fine, pulling a valuable resource from other pressing matters.

Trisha also warns against letting your child play with old cell phones that no longer have service. All cell phones are configured to allow a 911 call, regardless if there is no service tied to the phone. Trisha said, “We don’t mind talking to little Susie about her tea party until an adult can get on the phone, but usually we don’t have the time or resources to tie up an emergency line for that.” She suggests pulling out the battery of those old phones, before handing it over to Susie.

Congratulations to both Lisa and Trisha!