LAS VE$GAS (KTNV) — As we reach the end of Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, we’re introducing you to the unseen heroes of emergency services in southern Nevada.
911 is a phone number you call on the worst day of your life. On the other end of that line, dispatchers are trained to guide you and first responders through every twist and turn of a crisis.
“We are the calm voice in the dark,” said Nicole Davis, a dispatcher for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.
It’s not an easy job, but it’s critical. When there was a 911 outage Thursday, dispatchers across southern Nevada did what they do best: think on their feet and act fast. Clark County activated a multi-agency coordination center.
“One of our dispatchers knew to get on our radio channel to all dispatch where we could talk to Henderson and Metro and all the agencies within the valley,” said Karmen Gibson, North Las Vegas Police communications manager.
Gibson says a system called Rapid SOS also showed dispatchers where attempted 911 calls were coming from on Thursday. She says those calls were returned before 911 services were restored more than two hours later.
“They got the right units to the right place at the right time. There was no gap in the service that they continued to provide,” said Ashanti Gray, Assistant Fire Chief of Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.
Gray started her career in the dispatch center and says at times, dispatchers save lives before help arrives on scene.
“On my badge, personally, I have three little storks that are pink because I was able to deliver three baby girls over the phone. I also have six red life savers because I was able to provide CPR over the phone to six people who were able to walk out of the hospital neurologically intact,” Gray added.
You never know what kind of crisis is on the other end of that call. Some, dispatchers say, they’ll never forget.
“We have multiple calls day to day. You can get something from a baby drowning to a loved one dying to a cat stuck in a tree,” Davis said.
“Father’s Day last year, taking a call from a father who had just lost their two-month-old baby. That still, today, sits on my heart because you never want to hear a family hurting like that, especially on holiday,” Gibson said.
That life-or-death pressure can be a tough burden to bear, but it’s a duty dispatchers like Nicolette Moore take seriously.
“You do all that you can while you’re here, give it your all, every effort every resource, do the best job that you can that way when you go home there’s nothing left to give,” Moore said.
If you're interested in learning more about becoming a dispatcher, North Las Vegas and the City of Las Vegas are both hiring.
