The hardest part about being a 911 dispatcher is not knowing the outcome, says Melissa McKusic of the Lincoln County Communications Center in Wiscasset. She and fellow dispatcher Sonia Lilly were monitoring the phone lines the afternoon of April 16, during a 12-hour shift in which anything can happen.

Dispatchers, also called public safety “telecommunicators,” are being recognized for their efforts as part of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, April 14-20.  

Lincoln County EMA/Communications Director Tod Hartung and his crew are taking part in this national effort by dressing down and donning casual attire. He wants dispatchers to be recognized for the work that they do, because sometimes they feel as though people take what they do for granted. And many do not fully understand the scope of a dispatchers job, he said.

“It's not every day you're saving a life or bringing a baby into the world,” Hartung said. “But after they're over, it's like, 'holy mackerel' did I just do that?'”

Hartung was speaking of significant calls, life or death scenarios most people do not hear about until the news is reported in print, online or on television. And many of the smaller details evade the news, too.

Readers may remember the story of Boothbay resident Brigit Britton, a diabetic woman who lost her way in the Alna woods last August. In a letter to the editor shortly after the incident, Britton wrote that when her blood sugar dropped she became confused, she had trouble walking and had difficulty seeing.

Fortunately, Britton carried her cell phone with her. At the advice of her husband, she called 911. Pamela Reed picked up the phone at the Lincoln County Communications Center and talked Britton through the situation. Not many people know, but oftentimes dispatchers listen in on one another's calls to provide back-up assistance. For Britton's call, three dispatchers pitched in to help, Hartung said.

Britton thanked Reed and the emergency crews who helped find her and bring her back to safety. Earlier this month, Reed was given the “Silent Hero” plaque at the NENA conference in Portland. At the same conference, Reed, Tara Jones and Sonia Lilly were all recognized by Lincoln County Communications as “Telecomunicator of the Year” for their efforts in helping Britton.

At the end of the month, the county communications center will host an awards banquet for employees and dispatchers.

The awards and news reports of a dispatcher's job are not as routine as the calls made to 911 for someone who has fallen, an erratic motor vehicle on the road or someone having trouble retrieving their pet.

That's when the 12-hour days last longer and the uncertainty of what may come next can add extra strain to a dispatcher team. Tempers can rise and personal conflicts do come up, Hartung said. “But when that tone goes off, all that stuff goes away.”

While people routinely call for help with a pet or for an extra hand up off the floor, Hartung said dispatchers must respond to every call as if it is the most serious incident in the world.

Because sometimes the call about a woman alone and in labor, an armed robbery, an autistic boy who is lost or a car chase comes in. People also call with some very nasty cuts, Hartung said.

Isn't that intimidating? “You just have to keep them on the phone, talk them through it. These are some remarkable people we have working here,” Hartung replied.

Lilly and McKusic said they both really enjoy their work. McKusic was on duty at the time of a massive fire that wiped out the Washburn and Doughty boatyard in Boothbay. She remembers the events of that day, but a lot of other calls stay with her.

“There are a lot of calls that stay in my head,” Lilly agreed.

“Yeah,” McKusic said. “Like that guy who lost his wife. It's the heartbreak you experience. And the kids who call.”

“Every single day is different,” Lilly said. “What I like about it is you're helping people.”

“It's like being part of a big family,” McKusic said. “Law, fire and EMS.”

“Not everybody can do the job,” Lilly said. “You have to be dedicated.”

Kathy Blagdon has been with Lincoln County Communications for 29 years. In the comment section of a recent report, she wrote, “After 28 years, I love my job.” She said people used to come and go a lot in dispatch when she started. According to Hartung, the national average for a career in dispatch is three and a half years. But their department has kept people on staff for much longer. Bobby Robinson has been employed there for 27 years, according to Hartung. Collectively, his crew has about 200 years of experience, he said.

Blagdon said she may have continued as a dispatcher because, like Lilly, she knows each day is different. She has received some crazy and critical calls over the past couple decades: a shooting in Jefferson, a car chase up Route 1. Then there was the phone call from a woman who reported being telepathically raped by her neighbor.

These calls are not very common, though Blagdon is familiar with the process and the community she has served over the years. Some aspects of the job have changed. When she started, the communications center was in the basement of the Lincoln County Courthouse. There were red phones for fire department calls.

“Sometimes we would have to feel the top of the phones to see which one was ringing,” she said. “Those were the good 'ol days.”

However, she is pleased with the computer monitors, the telecommunication system and software dispatchers use in day-to-day operations. “We've come a long way,” she said, adding there are some skills dispatchers still need to possess, regardless of the efficiency of modern technology.

“You've got to be a good listener,” she said. “You have to read between the lines, be a quick thinker and think ahead.”

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