2014 February PASO Magazine
A monthly look at life in the remarkable community of Paso Robles.
A monthly look at life in the remarkable community of Paso Robles.
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<strong>PASO</strong> PEOPLE<br />
Jim’s Locomotive Obsession<br />
Keeping us Safe: 9-1-1 and Emergency Services<br />
Call Center is updated and fully operational<br />
By Chuck Desmond<br />
As Paso’s population expanded, so<br />
did the need for an upgraded protection<br />
support service. Cutting straight<br />
to the heart of translating that into<br />
an-easy-to-understand statement,<br />
just simply think 9-1-1 response time.<br />
We rely on this security blanket without<br />
thinking too much about how it<br />
works. We just “know it’s there and hope<br />
we don’t have to use it.”<br />
Under Chief Robert Burton, the new<br />
center now occupies a newly renovated<br />
area on the top floor of the Police Department<br />
- just 50 feet down the hall<br />
from his office. In a room of approximately<br />
500 sq. ft, it is a full 1/3 larger in<br />
every aspect. Let’s look at some of the<br />
specifics and see what they mean for us<br />
as residents of El Paso de Robles.<br />
With a penchant for our safety as the<br />
#1 priority of Chief Burton’s job, the<br />
PD simultaneously took on two interrelated<br />
tasks:<br />
#1 was to find an experienced person to run<br />
this uber-critical function for the city.<br />
#2 was to improve the facility itself to better<br />
handle the volume of calls and improve response<br />
times. Both were accomplished last Fall<br />
and all cylinders are firing perfectly.<br />
An area was redone to accommodate a<br />
third call person (from two that it previously<br />
housed) and the center was moved from the<br />
ground floor to a much-expanded space that<br />
provides for a bit of elbow room. Each of the<br />
three independent stations has eight monitors<br />
so each dispatcher has their eyes on several<br />
things at once.<br />
Through a posting and a job search, Mary<br />
Sponhaltz was recruited from the Morro<br />
Bay Police Department to be the supervisor.<br />
She was raised in Fresno and attended Fresno<br />
State where she received her BA degree.<br />
Mary and her husband moved to Paso in 2001<br />
Michelle Hiemstra<br />
Start out<br />
the<br />
New Year<br />
on a good<br />
paw!<br />
VISIT<br />
DAWG-ON-IT<br />
& KATZ TOO!<br />
Full Service Grooming with<br />
Loving Care<br />
619 Creston Rd. • Paso Robles<br />
239-9205 Tues.-Sat. 9-5<br />
Above: Lt. Ty Lewis,<br />
Mary Sponhaltz,<br />
Chief Robert Burton<br />
Right: Serve and<br />
Protect staue<br />
Far Right: Sarah Afana<br />
and Lori Morgan in<br />
the Dispatch Center<br />
but for Mary, it was a loooonnng commute to<br />
and from Paso every day. For almost thirteen<br />
years, Morro Bay was her work-home.<br />
Applying for the position and landing the job<br />
relieved that commute and allows Mary to<br />
“live and work in her town.”<br />
Mary’s official title is Administrative Assistant<br />
to Chief Burton and Dispatch Supervisor,<br />
reporting to Lt. Ty Lewis, who is in charge of<br />
the detectives and dispatch. Somehow, Mary<br />
is the right-hand for both men. She began<br />
her new position at the end of August - just<br />
in time to learn a few names and execute the<br />
move to the new location.<br />
Paso now has 33 sworn officers, and two K-<br />
9 dogs. Backing them up are seven full-time<br />
9-1-1 operators and two part-time employees<br />
reporting to Mary. All of them are women<br />
and all live in Paso. They are vested in the<br />
w w w. m i c h a e l s o p t i c a l . c o m<br />
40% Off<br />
Select Frames<br />
with Purchase of Lenses<br />
Not to be combined with other offers, packages,<br />
insurance, or discounts.<br />
community, seasoned pros who comprise<br />
a tight-knit team and have been<br />
at their posts for many years. They<br />
work four 10-hour shifts which gives<br />
them enough time off to always be<br />
fresh and alert which is exactly what<br />
we want when we need their help.<br />
In a heartbeat, the team members can<br />
sort out an incoming call and deploy<br />
the Emergency Services Team (Fire<br />
Department) or the police. A slug of<br />
routine calls (not 9-1-1 variety) also<br />
come to them so they direct the request<br />
or situation to the right department.<br />
But, make no mistake, anything<br />
that threatens life or property is<br />
tops on the list. And, the list is<br />
long! On average, it is just short of<br />
100 calls per day that require “rightnow<br />
intervention and action.”<br />
To explain a bit more, here’s what<br />
happens when someone dials 9-1-1.<br />
If the call is made from a land-line in<br />
the city, the operators can tell exactly<br />
where the call originated. That’s important<br />
if the caller was unable to speak or give<br />
the location. That same emergency call made<br />
on a cell-phone, however, doesn’t provide<br />
a physical location of the call’s origin. Cellphone<br />
9-1-1 calls go to the CHP which then<br />
dispatches whatever is necessary. This could<br />
mean the CHP calls the fire or the police<br />
departments and that time lost could make<br />
a difference. This alone is an excellent reason<br />
to hang on to the land line. Outside the city<br />
limits, land-line phone calls go to the Sheriff ’s<br />
Department, which then dispatches whatever<br />
is needed based on the caller’s location.<br />
With 30,000 local residents and an army of<br />
visitors and tourists every day this is fertile soil<br />
for every kind of emergency one could imagine.<br />
If, and only if, you need immediate help, call<br />
9-1-1. For routine business, call 237-6464. It’s<br />
a great team that is there to assist.<br />
Paso Robles<br />
643 Spring St. & 7th<br />
238-5770<br />
Atascadero<br />
8300 El Camino Real<br />
(Food 4 Less Ctr.)<br />
466-5770<br />
San Luis Obispo<br />
719 Higuera<br />
543-5770<br />
We’re<br />
Celebrating<br />
Our 35th Year!<br />
Thanks and<br />
Happy<br />
Valentine’s Day<br />
26 Paso Robles <strong>Magazine</strong>, <strong>February</strong> <strong>2014</strong>