23.07.2017 Views

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.

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

<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>

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!