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Not all heroes wear capes: Honoring Fond du Lac County dispatchers

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week
Fond du Lac County Dispatch Center
Posted at 6:02 PM, Apr 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-15 01:58:09-04

FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — Not all heroes wear capes and this week we’re honoring local dispatchers for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Fond du Lac County Dispatchers

Fond du Lac County emergency dispatchers are the men and women who are the first ones to answer a call for help when someone in the community dials 911.

Dispatchers say they signed up to help make a difference in the lives of others.

Meet some of the Fond du Lac County Emergency Dispatchers:

“I think probably one of the most rewarding is being that voice and that person for their callers at possibly their worst day of their life. So whether it’s a family member that is having a medical emergency or it’s a police issue for whatever they’re calling us for. Being that calm voice for them and helping them get through that is probably the most rewarding part,” said Lance Thomas, who has been a dispatcher for about 20 years.

Those in the field say it takes a special individual to remain calm while receiving these frantic calls.

“I’ve taken calls from anything from shots fired calls to fatal accidents. I’ve done CPR on an infant who ended up making it, I’ve recently saved a life in the city of Ripon,” said Brittany Streeter, who has been a dispatcher for nearly seven years.

For another emergency dispatcher, Cassie Kohn she said she's been in this profession for about six years.

She says calls can often times be the connection between life and death.

"I've helped talk a girl through escaping some captors," Kohn said. "She was a younger girl, she had been missing. I obviously did not know what I was getting myself into when I first answered the call. Your brain kind of flips a switch and your brain goes on auto pilot to do what you have to do to get people out of the situation"

“We’re able to really keep the calm and that’s really what they need when they’re calling. They need someone who is calming and knowledgable. Having the confidence that they are getting the right help,” said Stephanie Arthur. “It is very unique. Not everyone is able to do it. It takes a very special person to be able to put all of your feelings aside. Not matching their level of stress can be something hard to find”

“You know you start off the phone call and you go into it blind. You don’t know what’s going to happen.Things can go from an animal complaint to a disorderly conduct to something else in a matter of seconds. So I think being able to go into that blind and then at the end helping people and knowing that you got help there and got it there on time to help them," said Tia Theel. "Helping people in some of their worse days is a feeling like no other and to go onto the next call and help the next person and the next person and the next person, that is a feeling that you can’t get anywhere else."

“It’s very rewarding. I knew when I wanted to get into dispatching the reward aspect of being able to help people get through some of their hardest days is probably the biggest thing for me,” said Brooke Scott.

Scott explains when is the most busy times for calls.

“Afternoons are usually busier. Kind of when everyone is getting out of school and work. Things get a little chaotic on the busy days,” Scott said.

Fond du Lac County dispatchers say it's an honor to be at the forefront providing life saving instructions to those on the other end of the phone lines.

For more information on why this week honoring dispatchers was created.

Community members are using this week to thank these dispatchers in Fond du Lac County and all across Wisconsin for all the hard work they do.