Stephens Co. 911 Dispatchers to be Honored

Stephens County 911 Dispatchers are being honored this week.

911 EMA Director Danielle Rhodes told WNEG News about the special event.

“This Thursday we are having an open house for county employees and department heads to come by and talk with the dispatchers and look and see what we do here,” she said. “Just to give them an opportunity to appreciate the 911 Dispatchers and what they do everyday. The Dispatchers are not really seen in the public often so it’s nice to have the departments come by and appreciate them.”

Rhodes said the Dispatchers’ lives can be tough, especially the mental aspect of the job.

“They really have a tough job and a lot of stress. The are experiencing the worst of people having the worst day of their lives on a regular basis, and they are constantly under pressure to get people help that are in a crisis and do it right every time,” she said.

Rhodes said one of the tough things for 911 Dispatchers is not knowing how the story ends.

“It is often a very thankless job because once they disconnect the call or dispatch the call that is all they hear about it,” said Rhodes.  “They never really know how it ends or if they made a difference. It’s often like reading a really, really good book, having the last chapter torn out, and never knowing what happened.”
Due to policies and regulations, the public cannot attend Thursday’s Open house, but Rhodes said that cards and letters can be dropped off at the Historic Stephens County Courthouse and would be appreciated.