YUMA, Ariz- It’s National Public Safety Telecommunicator’s week and we were able to spotlight one dispatcher who shares with us what it’s like to work in a high stress environment.
911 dispatcher Gabrielle Trevino says the most underrated thing about her job is how busy it can become juggling several things at a time.
Trevino said, “We’re doing several things at once. We’re multi-taskers. We’re answering phones, typing on the computer, we have multi computer systems, we typing on the computer and the dispatch system. So we have about 6-7 things going on at the same time.”
Trevino says are there for support and contact whenever someone is need of the police department or ambulance.
Trevino adds, “Because we’re the ones gathering the information whenever you’re trying to figure out where your at and what the problem is to send the appropriate response.”
When it comes to the craziest call she’s ever received, Trevino says there are one too many.
“There are a lot of different calls. It just depends on what you consider crazy. There’s a huge variety. We get the baby not breathing which is the worst. Or someone being attacked with a machete” Trevino said.
Being fully involved and paying attention to detail is a must.
Trevino adds, “That one second when someone is screaming at you, and then they’ll say that they have a gun or a knife, or that they took some sort of pill. And if they didn’t catch that then that can change a response completely.”
Her favorite part the of the job is knowing that she can make a difference in people’s lives.
She said, “Knowing that we’re making a difference because if we aren’t there answering the phones then they’re not going to get the help they need right away.”