SDPD honors its ‘first, first responders’ during National Dispatchers Week
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — “San Diego Police Dispatcher,” a voice answers, “How can I help you?”
It’s the calm in the middle of a storm, and the first voice you hear in the midst of an emergency.
“Any 911 calls made within our jurisdiction come here,” said Mellissa Santagata, Police Dispatch Administrator with the San Diego Police Department.
She works in a dark communications center in the San Diego police headquarters downtown.
“One of the helpful things you’ll notice is it’s kind of dark in here, so we keep the lights dim for that reason, it promotes a calm atmosphere,” Santagata added.
SDPD is honoring the unsung heroes of the department during National Dispatchers Week, or National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
“It’s typically back-to-back calls, we service the entire city of San Diego, they handle 1.3 million calls a year,” Santagata said, that breaks down to about 3,500 calls a day.
The San Diego Police Communications Center is the second busiest in the state of California, just behind LAPD.
“They’re the people behind the curtain that no one really ever sees but they are the first, first responders,” Santagata said.
She started as a dispatcher, now an administrator, in what she calls the nerve center of the police department. It’s a fast-paced job, with six screens, never knowing what’s on the other end of the call, and handling multiple emergencies at once.
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“When people think police department, they think officers right off the bat because that’s what they see who are coming to their rescue or coming to help them in their time of need, the dispatchers are not seen by the public, but they are such an integral part of public safety,” she said. “The public doesn’t call us when they’re having a good day, they need help, they’re stressed, they’ve been victimized, butted out— they’ve had something stolen from them, they’re calling 911 they may need a paramedic or a firefighter, firetruck… so they don’t call us on their best days, and we understand that’s why we signed up we are here to help.”
The SDPD unit dispatches 400,000 calls a year, and are ready to answer 911 calls in more than 100 languages, by the many dispatchers who speak multiple languages, but also with their interpreter system.
“Since we do service such a large and diverse city, not just with our residents, and enjoy time in San Diego, we are prepared to service people from all walks of life.. several different languages,” Santagata said.
Their preparations stretch beyond the dial tone, in such a high-stress job, they have a wellness unit, peer-to-peer support and other resources ready to assist if dispatchers are emotionally affected by a call.
They are also prepared if their unit, known to handle emergencies, finds themselves in the middle of one, such as an act of terrorism, or if the 911 systems go down.
“We have alternate answer points in place, meaning if we had to leave our physical building, we do have agencies designated as our backup,” she added.
Throughout the department, special decorations, balloons and treats could be seen for the dispatchers to enjoy during this week, which ends Saturday.
“Saving lives, it all starts here with that phone call,” she said.
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