Dispatchers highlighted during 9-1-1 Dispatcher Appreciation Week in Clinton County
‘Faceless heroes’
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LOCK HAVEN -- In the instance of an emergency, one phrase is often shouted first… "call 9-1-1!"
When that call is made, the person at the other end of the line plays a crucial role. One that can often go unseen or unthought of due to the faceless nature of the job.
However, that dispatcher who calmly directs you during an emergency -- while coordinating emergency medical personnel, firefighters and police officers -- is often a member of your community.
That's the case here in Clinton County at its 9-1-1 Dispatch Center.
This week, National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, is the perfect time to thank those individuals who dedicate hours of their time to helping those in their darkest moments.
The Clinton County Board of Commissiners recognized this week during a recent meeting.
Andrew Kremser, director of the county's department of emergency services, thanked each member of the dispatch team for their service, listing them by name. That included: Shane Barret, Delmar Blackwell, Travis Gibiser, Travis Hillyer, Derek Hoover, Aimee Hunsinger, Mike Hyde, Charly Kepler, Reagan Markley, Josh McGill, Hannah Park, Jon Plessinger, Lori Rhoads, Jacqueline Rinker, Chris Rupert, Jalissa Shreckengast, Jessika Smith, Arianna Warnagiris and Brian Walizer.
"These are the names of Clinton County's faceless heroes, the calm voice at the other end of the phone when someone calls with an emergency," Kremser said.
Kremser said the staff answered over 100,000 calls in 2022 at the center for roughly 17,500 combined hours. The staff, who works 12 hour rotating shifts, often works holidays, weekends and spends a large amount of time away from their families to ensure the safety of county residents.
The staff at the dispatch center come from a wide range of backgrounds, each with their own skills sets and reasons for choosing a career in emergency services.
For Jacque Lyn, she's always liked to help people. In July 2023, Lyn will have worked at the center for two years.
"I've always enjoyed helping people," Lyn said, noting that she is considering becoming a certified EMT. "I've got young ones at home, so that's down the line."
Even without a background in emergency services, Lyn has assisted roughly 2,000 callers for emergency and non-emergency calls.
"A boring day is a good day," she said. "But we always are preparing for the worst case scenerio."
Lyn has dealt with a wide range of calls, from accidents to health emergencies and difficult calls involving domestic disputes. She recalled one such call that has stuck with her.
"It was a domestic with younger kids. The kids were screaming in the background as I was trying to handle the situation. All while helping to get police there," she said. "The kids were screaming, the mother was yelling and their was the potential of a gun involved."
Although it was a terrifying situation, Lyn said she was able to assist as best she could while police were enroute to the scene.
"It's the inability to go physically help that can be difficult," Kremser said, noting many dispatchers' felt the same. "You're there, you're listening and you can't physically help those in need."
Lyn agreed with Kremser's assessment.
"There's the good and bad situations and that's how it is," she said.
Lyn and other dispatchers -- Supervisor Chris Rupert and Reagan Markley -- recalled a lighter phone call when a "cow answered the phone."
According to Markley, whose worked full-time at the center since September 2022, she answered the call and only heard mooing. It turned out the caller accidentally dialed 9-1-1, she said.
"You need to stay on the line so we can get a voice contact, even if it's a non-emergency or accidental call," Lyn said.
Markley, one of the staff's newest members, has answered nearly 1,000 calls in the short time she's been with the center.
"I've always been involved with first responders' work," Markley, whose a member of Waterville Volunteer Fire Department, said.
Markley, who is 19 years old, is one of the youngest members on staff, and said she'd like to continue to remain involved in this work.
Rupert has been working at the center for 17 years, beginning part-time in 2006. Prior to his work in emergency dispatch, he was involved in EMS and fire emergency, becoming an EMT in 1995.
Rupert became fulltime at the dispatch center in 2009 and was promoted to shift supervisor in 2019.
"We've gone through quite a bit of everything," Rupert said of the calls he's fielded. One of the most memorable for him was the multi-vehicle crash along Interstate 80 in December 2020. The accident saw dozens of emergency personnel flock to the stretch of roadway after the pile-up occurred on a snowy evening.
Just recently, Rupert helped coach a caller through saving a child who was choking.
According to Rupert, a key part of the job is to provide "calmness, compassion and empathy."
"Having the mindset that it's during a person's darkest hour. And I have the skills and ability to get them the help they need," he said.
Rupert encourages county residents to always be aware of their address, or even where they are, and to teach their kids their address and how to dial 9-1-1.
"We can track your location, but it's really best to have the confirmation," he said.
The center also employs part-time dispatchers like Charly Kepler -- a Renovo resident who is also in her freshman year of nursing school.
Kepler comes from a family of emergency responders and is a member of Hand in Hand Fire Company in Lock Haven. She noted multiple members of her family are.
She also serves as one of two Emergency Management Coordinators in Chapman Township.
While Kepler attends school, she also fills in at the dispatch center.
"I figured this would be a good fit," she said. "I can come in here and help a few hours and then attend my classes."
Kepler, who is 18 years old, began working for the center in June 2022 after taking an EMT course with Kremser at the time.
Since joining, she's answered hundreds of emergency calls and -- if she had to guess -- thousands of call overall.
"Like Rupert said, you have to have compassion. These people are going through the most difficult time of their life. The least we can do is make sure the apparatus gets there to them," she said.
Kepler said even after she completes her degree, she'd love to continue her work.
"I'd live to continue to do this part time. I really love the work," she said.
According to the dispatchers, the work can be difficult, but they've created a support system.
"We have each other. We're one big family," Lyn said.