The average day for Cumberland County dispatchers is anything but average! Each call has the potential for presenting a unique set of circumstances that will challenge the dispatcher to think outside of the box. Most of these situations go unknown to the public, but today we want to highlight one of those recent unique calls!
It is not uncommon for dispatchers to receive calls from individuals in other states. Individuals may call about a loved one they cannot get a hold of in the area and or may have been on the phone when someone experienced a medical emergency in this area. What is uncommon is a dispatcher taking a call involving someone in Afghanistan reporting an emergency!
In January a Cumberland County Dispatcher 15 took a call from an individual that stated a friend currently deployed to Afghanistan had contacted her via Skype reporting that his wife in South Carolina was in distress. The deployed individual was utilizing a web camera to contact his wife and through the web camera found his wife lying unresponsive on the floor of their home in Richland County, South Carolina. Upon seeing this, he immediately contacted a friend in Cumberland County on Skype and asked them to get help. Not knowing who to call, the individual here in Cumberland County dialed 9-1-1. Dispatcher 15 answered and the caller explained the situation. The dispatcher was able to get an address for the unresponsive person and utilized the technology available to him and did an internet search for a number for Richland County, South Carolina 9-1-1. The dispatcher made numerous attempts to contact the number found, but each time a recording stated that the line had been disconnected. Persistence prevailed, as Dispatcher 15 continued his search for a number to report the medical emergency and he was able to locate the number for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Upon contacting the number, the Sheriff’s Department was able to transfer Dispatcher 15 to the Richland County 9-1-1 center and he then requested an ambulance to the location. The dispatcher was then able get in touch with the original caller to get a message to Afghanistan via Skype that an ambulance was in route. Like with so many calls, Dispatcher 15 does not know the ultimate outcome for the patient in South Carolina. They often never know the result, but at the end of the day, someone needed help and the dispatcher got them the help they needed!
Morale of this story… Technology is constantly changing the methods in which emergencies are reported to our dispatchers. This means Cumberland County dispatchers must constantly change as well. It isn’t enough to keep up their long list of certifications, but they must be very aware of the changing world around them and how it is going to impact their ability to help someone in an emergency situation.
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