Nov. 01--MCALESTER -- Pittsburg County Sheriff's department's emergency responders, also known as dispatchers, Julie Padgett and Cindy Taylor recently completed training in the Oklahoma's Public Safety Conference in Tulsa.
When a call is made for help in an emergency, the first voice a caller will hear is that of the dispatcher who must take the information and pass it on quickly while trying to calm the caller. Life or death can hang in the balance and to handle each situation professionally takes training, according to Pagett.
Padgett said she and Taylor are both CLEET certified reserve officers and have received extensive emergency responder training. Padgett said she is one of the first tazer certified women in the county.
"All eight of our responders are highly trained," said Richard Bedford Under-Sheriff for Pittsburg County.
Police and firemen are often viewed as heroes because they are at the scene, however, the dispatcher is the one who takes the information and gets the help where it's needed, according to Bedford.
Bedford said the dispatchers an integral part of the sheriffs office.
"All of our dispatchers are a great asset to our department," Bedford said. "They are the hub of our department because they are the first face people see when they come in to the office and the first voice they hear when they call."
"Not only do we try to keep the caller calm we must also communicate the information to the officers and keep them informed and calm as well,"Padgett said.
The dispatchers must be able to pinpoint the exact location of the caller, assess the emergency, contact the law enforcement, emergency medical services or the fire department and prepare them for what is coming, and at the same time show compassion to the caller.
And compassion is needed when an abuse victim calls and needs help or when there is a death of loved one. "We get calls from women and children hiding from an abuser, whispering and crying and frightened and we try to help them and let them know we aren't going anywhere until help arrives," Padgett said.
Bedford said the sheriffs department also helps residents who have other situations needs. "Sometimes we get calls from people who are stuck in the snow and we go give them a tow or if they are without heat we will bring them a heater, it just depends on what they need. We are all here to help."
Contact Jeanne LeFlore at [email protected].
Copyright 2011 - McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
