CINCINNATI — First responders who answer phones during emergencies are being honored this week during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week at the City of Cincinnati Emergency Communication Center.
The center, which handles 911 and 311 calls, operates 24 hours a day to assist people during some of the worst moments of their lives.
We visited the Emergency Communication Center on the west side of Cincinnati this week to hear from dispatchers. Specifically, we wanted to know what 911 operators wish people understood more about their jobs.
"I wish people knew how much we care about them. We are just the first person that you're talking to, in a difficult time and you might forget that we're a person too. We care about you. Just because we're trying to get information fast doesn't mean we're rushing you or we don't care. We aren't trying to get you off the phone for any bad reason," Ellyn Polander said.
Watch below to learn what it's like behind the scenes:
Polander is an emergency 911 operator and trainer at the facility. She said taking these calls requires a lot of strength and focus.
"I think the hardest part, it's kind of cliche, but it's not knowing how things end sometimes," Polander said. "For me, that's a good thing to be honest. I'm grateful that I don't have to see what I'm hearing, and I don't have a very good imagination, so I think that does help me get through the day. But you often want to know how it turns out because you really do care about them, and a lot of times we don't get that answer."
To help operators cope with the stress of the job, the communication center has dedicated spaces for the team to decompress after taking tough calls. Support teams within their peer groups are also available to make sure operators are doing OK after listening to difficult situations.
See more below:
The team said it helps them dispatch aid faster when 911 callers are able to relay their location as specifically as possible when emergencies happen.
Additionally, if you are not sure whether a situation is an emergency, you can start by calling 311. Operators can elevate your need to 911 if it requires a quicker response. The dispatch team said that callers will not get in trouble for calling either 311 or 911.
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