EAGLEVILLE, Pa. (WLVT) - When you dial 911 on your phone, you get immediate access to police, fire, and emergency medical services. A lot of work goes into getting you that help quickly, and some places, like the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Operations Center, it’s a challenge to keep enough 911 operators to meet growing demand.
“I don’t think people realize what goes on here,” said Jennifer Cass, assistant director for operations for Montgomery County Department of Public Safety. “When we do tours and I bring people in, they’re like, ‘Wow. I didn’t realize how cool this place was or what you do here.’
“It’s exciting. It’s fun,” said 911 telecommunicator Justyn Forrest. “You definitely help people out, and change the world one step at a time.
The Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Operations Center in Eagleville answers all 911 calls and dispatches emergency crews.
“I like to call us the first first responders,” Cass said. “The police, fire and ambulance probably don’t like me saying that, but to us within our agency, we are the ones the get it going.”
Operators have to handle a wide variety of situations, from less urgent calls—a bat in the attic, cats stuck in trees, stubbed toes, and improperly parked cars—to more serious issues, like car accidents, gun or domestic violence, and medical emergencies.
“It’s a lot harder than you think it is,” said Forrest. “A lot of people think you just sit around and answer the phone, but it’s a lot more work than I thought.”
It wasn’t always as easy as just dialing 911.
“Historically you would dial a 10-digit local police station number if you needed police, and fire stations had a phone number, and I think ambulance squads had a phone number, too,” said Cass.
The three-digit number 911 was established as the national emergency number in 1968, directing all emergency calls to central emergency offices. Since then, technology has improved the effectiveness of 911 services. In 1992, the center began using “Enhanced 911,” which could pinpoint the exact address of calls coming from landlines. In the early 2000s, they could start using cell phone GPS to find callers. However, wireless phones only give an approximate location through GPS, which is why operators still need to ask callers where they are.
“When a 911 call comes in, the call taker answers the phone, ‘911, where is your emergency?’ Because to us, the where is the most important part,” said Cass.
In 2015, the county began offering Text-to-911, though only through wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.
“We take the call from there,” said Forrest. “We figure out what’s going on, if we need to dispatch fire, police or EMS to whatever their situation is.”
When time is of the essence, operators help dispatch emergency departments respond to the scene, and guide callers while they wait. In Montgomery County, all operators are trained as emergency medical dispatchers, meaning they can instruct callers on how to give medical attention until an ambulance arrives. Telecommunicators said they had talked people through choking incidents, overdoses, and even childbirth.
“I did CPR with a woman. She was doing it on his husband, [because] he had collapsed,” said senior telecommunicator Nicole Crossley. “I ended up finding out from the ambulance company that she did it right, she broke his ribs, and she saved his life. It’s nice to hear that we helped them.”
These high stress situations can take an emotional toll, operators said.
“Some calls are difficult, especially like the cardiac calls where you know someone’s not going to make it,” Forrest said. “Those calls, as sad as they are, you could have a much more serious call happen the next second later. You can’t let it affect you. You have to keep the ball rolling and send help as needed.”
In emergencies, there’s no time to spare; the department’s average call answer time is two seconds. But operators work long hours. Their shifts last 12 hours, and can be scheduled normal business hours, but also nights, weekends and holidays. They said that’s because emergencies happen 24/7.
Because of the job’s high demands, there is often high turnover in 911 operator jobs, Cass said. In Montgomery County, the job shortage is made even more acute by fast population growth. The county grew from 625,000 people in 197o to 826,000 people in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
That means more emergency calls. The department received 763,973 calls to 911 and police departments in 2017, or about 2,100 calls a day.
“So it is hard to keep up with that, yes,” Cass said.
The department is always hiring, and this August accepted 25 people for their latest round of training. But they still have nearly 30 openings.
People are sometimes scared to apply, Forrest said. “I guess it is stressful for some people. My family is all first responders so I guess that type of stress, I can work with. But I know it does affect other people in the room and sometimes it is hard. Some calls are hard. Some people have to take a step out. But again, we’re a team here and we have tools to cope with that.”
Those tools include a strong team mentality, where people can support one another, and a quiet room, where operators can take a breather. It’s a tough job, said Crossley, who has been with the Emergency Operations Center for seven years, but not one they can’t handle.
“Whether we’re on the police side or the phone side, our goal is to help people,” she said.
If you’re ever wondering whether to call 911, the rule of thumb is to call when you think the situation immediately requires police, fire or ambulance services, Cass said. Otherwise, try to find your local police department’s non-emergency number.
But, of course, operators pick up all calls and try to help each person with whatever assistance they may need, whenever they may need it.
