HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia – Henrico County’s 911 Center needs dispatchers that play a vital role in community safety.
Attracting applicants has become a challenge for many emergency call centers across the country, according to dispatcher Henrico Ally Steuart.
Steuart acknowledged that the job is stressful and demanding.
“I sit behind a desk every day and answer that phone and save someone’s life,” she explained.
Dispatchers are also trained to provide first aid and CPR instructions. Some even helped deliver babies over the phone.
He works weekends, holidays and long hours at the Henrico Emergency Communications Center on East Parham Road. Steuart said a typical 10-hour shift has recently turned into a 14- to 16-hour shift due to a lack of staff.
“You have to be patient in this job, because for those citizens it is the worst day of their lives. If you can’t be patient and work through it, they will never come down and let you know what’s going on. You will never get them to do CPR. If you shout at them or are stressed because they are stressed – nothing will come out of it, “Steuart said.
Dispatchers juggle five computer screens as they listen to citizens and pass this information on to officers or firefighters.
After three years of work, Steuart has grown in ranks and is training new recruits.
But despite the challenges, working in a shipping center can be satisfying, she said. She described the partnership and cooperation between the first respondents as a family.
“I have to do CPR. I’m going to stop the bleeding from a wound. I have to talk to someone from the injury and go home at the end of the day, thinking I saved someone’s life, “Steuart said.
On Friday morning, nine new recruits graduated from the county dispatchers’ academy.
If you want to apply to become a Henrico 911 distributor, you are encouraged to apply online at Henrico.us.