Dispatch...a Comparison over the Years

by Traci Fitzsimmons

When I began my dispatch career back in the early 1980's fresh out of high school, I was impressed by the technology at the time, CAD, reel to reel tapes to document the radio and phone transmissions, teletypes that rolled out in hard copy on the green and white continuous perforated paper. I left the field after 5 years and then returned about 12 years later to the same dispatch center I had worked at previously. The changes were pretty incredible when I returned. Everything was now Windows related for CAD and the number of computer screens had doubled. Not to mention all the new programs that were internal and internet available to assist in research and the fact that everything was now digital.

 This got me thinking that it would be interesting to get the point of view of a couple of dispatchers with different backgrounds in the field. I chose to speak with Larry Swanson a 31 year veteran, and Brandy Hoffman who has been in the field for just under 2 1/2 years. Both began their careers with and are currently employed by Yolo Co. Communications.  Brandy began her time in dispatch as Dispatch Assistant and is now an on line Dispatcher II. Larry began his career on the line and is now an I.T. Specialist II.

Each Dispatcher was asked a series of questions and these are the answers they provided.

 How did you hear about dispatch, what brought you into the field?

Larry; “I had just graduated from Sacramento State in 1978 and was looking for a job in government. I saw a 2 or 3 line add in the Help Wanted section of the Sacramento Bee and applied.

Brandy; “I found an ad on the Yolo County Website; I was a criminal justice major and wanted to work in law enforcement. My husband was a volunteer fire fighter and I had heard dispatch on the scanner and had always been interested in finding out more about it."

 What did you think when you first saw the Communications Center?

Larry; "I never saw the Center until after I was hired. I walked in and saw a dispatcher answering a radio with a boom mike and running back and forth getting to all the phone lines and radio traffic, and I thought "How could I ever do what she is doing!" I mentally flipped a coin and I lost--so I decided I had to stay and give it a try."

Brandy; "I thought "oh hell!" it was a bit overwhelming with all the monitors and keyboards and all the activity between the dispatchers.

What was the most impressive Technology when you started dispatching?

Larry; “The CLETS machine.  A CRT 2 type monitor on a swivel screen between the 2 dispatch consoles, you had to type in a long string of coded information, dial out on a phone line connected to it, and wait for about 15 or 20 minutes for the information to return. At the time     that was pretty impressive."

Brandy; "The GeoLynx mapping system that allows you to track the movements of a wireless 911 caller as the call progresses."

 How did/do you process incoming calls?

Larry; "Everything came in on a desk type phone that had a few extra lines, then it was hand written on call cards that had to be time stamped on an old punch clock."

Brandy; "Computer aided phone system, with automatic 911 call screen population, then sent automatically via computer to the console that handles that call."

 What did/do you spend the major part of you day doing?

 Larry; “Answering phones, we were also the switchboard for the entire county. You had to manually switch the calls using plugs on an old style switchboard, then hand dial the calls over to the correct line."

Brandy; "Running computer checks for officers, and referring callers to the correct agencies."   

 What makes you the most proud of your profession?

Larry; "The fact that the people do an amazing job; they are given all of this responsibility and handle it so well... They really care about the people, officers and user agencies, as well as the citizens."

Brandy; "Everyday, we get the opportunity to help people, whether it is assisting an officer in removing a criminal from the streets or making a difference in someone’s life."

The facilities, technology, even the way we find out about the job and the way we approach our careers continues to evolve over the years.  This may seem like it changes the job we do in some ways, but I have found that most dispatchers are still on the line or involved in the field for the same reasons, because they care about what they are doing. Emergency Dispatchers are dedicated and professional group who continue to give their best, no matter the equipment they work with, they are still the most valuable resource a Communications Center can have.