ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — When someone calls 911, the first person they speak with is not a police officer, firefighter or paramedic. It’s a dispatcher.
As the Oro Valley Police Department recruits new emergency communications dispatchers, department leaders say the job requires a unique mix of quick decision-making, multitasking and the ability to remain calm during some of the most stressful situations imaginable.
“Behind every breaking news story and every headline, there’s a 911 dispatcher answering the first call, or working with the responders in the field,” said Ben Johnson, the Oro Valley Police Department’s communications manager…