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“I REALLY LOVE MY CAREER”<br />
Kate McKinley — Paso’s Newest 9-1-1 Dispatcher<br />
By Chuck Desmond<br />
“It’s better to know me and not<br />
need me than to need me and not<br />
know me.” This holds true for that<br />
time when you need to call 9-1-1 and<br />
have that gut-wrenching and sinking<br />
feeling of wondering if someone<br />
will actually answer and really be<br />
able to help in time. It’s been awhile<br />
since we’ve looked at the Dispatch<br />
Department in the Emergency Services<br />
building and this is a perfect<br />
time to get refreshed, with the arrival<br />
of KATE McKINLEY.<br />
Firstly, remember, NEVER BE<br />
AFRAID you are “bothering<br />
someone” by calling 9-1-1.<br />
They are here for our safety!<br />
Let’s start with a couple of the<br />
good-news facts. The Dispatch Department<br />
is in really good shape.<br />
There are eight highly-trained and<br />
many more calls each day that are<br />
more routine — fender benders<br />
to be reported, parking questions,<br />
whom should I call for this or that,<br />
is the road closed, my cat’s up a<br />
tree, etc.<br />
El Paso de Robles is lucky to<br />
have Kate on board. She is calm,<br />
deliberate, well-trained and thorough.<br />
You might ask, “Hey Chuck,<br />
how did she get to our little pueblo?”<br />
Good question. Let’s find out.<br />
Kate’s family lived in five or six<br />
different states as her dad took increasingly<br />
important positions in<br />
his line of work. Mostly though,<br />
she’d say that Walla Walla, WA,<br />
where she spent her high school<br />
years, became the solid foundation<br />
she stood on.<br />
Kate played H.S. softball, was<br />
in the band as a percussionist and<br />
played an active role in the school<br />
government. By then she’d also<br />
been playing piano and after thirdedicated<br />
employees in the department<br />
that is on the 2nd floor<br />
of 900 Park Street — just 30 feet<br />
away from Police Chief Robert<br />
Burton’s and Mary Sponhaltz’s offices.<br />
The dispatchers report to Mary<br />
(whom we all secretly know runs<br />
the department) even though<br />
the title on her desk translates to<br />
“Uber Assistant!”<br />
Dispatchers are in position every<br />
hour of every day. When you<br />
need them, they are there. They are<br />
not even allowed to hold a second<br />
job without special permission and<br />
approval to insure they are available<br />
for us Roblans as needed.<br />
The dispatchers receive about<br />
120 service-calls each day. Service-calls<br />
are those related to the<br />
need for fire, police, ambulance<br />
and the like, for emergencies. The<br />
dispatchers answer all 9-1-1 calls<br />
for both police and fire. There are<br />
Paso Police Department<br />
Dispatcher, Kate McKinley.<br />
ty years, she plays classical music<br />
to this day. When a BS degree in<br />
Criminal Justice led to the “I want<br />
more” syndrome, she ended up<br />
with a Masters degree in Public<br />
Administration.<br />
Kate began in finance and marketing,<br />
with a position in Belfast,<br />
Northern Ireland. After which<br />
she returned to Bellingham, WA<br />
Please see DISPATCHER page 21<br />
18 <strong>PASO</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, December <strong>2017</strong>
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