The Good Life – July-August 2015

you’re really helping people
and getting officers what
they need to support public
safety.”
Those officers come from a
variety of agencies in the area;
the resources operators draw
from to respond to a situation include seven police
departments, two sheriff departments, three fire
departments, 27 volunteer fire departments, 15 rural
EMS providers and Fargo-Moorhead Ambulance,
according to the center’s website.
While all of those agencies have different procedures
for how they operate, the dispatch center has
worked to streamline the response process to ensure
consistency. A sophisticated computer system offers
operators a guide for any type of incident that
might be encountered; new operators familiarize
themselves with these guides in the first phase of
training to improve efficiency and comfort with the
various calls. An important component of each call
guide is the response each individual agency has
outlined so an operator knows who and what to
dispatch for a particular incident.
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"We have to remember that the
person is upset, and that everyone
has a reason for calling.”
Because operators
sit so close to
one another,
communication is
key. “We’re always
communicating
with each other,”
Sandhofner said. “It’s
all about teamwork. Part of the training is to
make the person understand how to be the
best team member.”
When an operator takes any call, an address
and phone number are critical information.
That information allows operators to dispatch
necessary resources as quickly as possible.
Sandhofner said children are often the best callers
because they recall such detailed information;
children are also typically calmer than adults when
making an emergency call.
Just as important as the information is the operator’s
demeanor while on the call. “We tell the person right
away that help is on the way,” Sandhofner said. “We
have to remember that the person is upset, and that
everyone has a reason for calling.”