VIDEO: Dispatchers, the “first” first responders, the unseen heroes of emergencies. National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is a time to honor the work that they do daily that the public does not see.
“We help people solve their own problems when they can’t,” Jones County 911 Central Dispatcher Nadia McKenzie said.
“We assist officers and deputies on decision-making on where they should go, what’s the safest option, and our main priority is to make sure that our first responders go back home the same way they came to US at the end of their shift,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie says the word “central” is very important due to the various offices they dispatch for.
“We not only dispatch for Laurel Police Department, but we do for Jones County Sheriff’s Department, Ellisville Police Department, Sandersville Police Department, Soso Police Department, Laurel Fire, Ellisville Fire, and we have 19 county volunteer fire departments that we dispatch for as well,” she said.
McKenzie says that one of the biggest misconceptions she’s seen as a dispatcher is the reasons why they ask the person on the phone very specific and detailed questions.
Some folks may think that their name and number will be given out to just anybody, but McKenzie says this information is pivotal in case they need to contact you for any reason.
