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Monday, November 1, 1999
911 dispatcher starts life-saving process
Catherine Rodriguez is trained in crisis, emergency codes and knows every street in the city
By Cynthia Hodnett
Caller-Times
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| John Kennedy/Caller-Times |
| Catherine Rodriguez is a dispatcher for 911. She is trained not only to take emergency calls but also to connect people with the police and fire departments as necessary. To be efficient she learned every street in the city because there's often not enough time to check a map. |
Catherine Rodriguez
Occupation: 911 dispatcher
Age: 27
Quote: "Next to an emergency response worker, I may have the most important job in the community. I am literally a connection between the officer and the citizen. I help save lives."
When people in distress call 911 for help, Catherine Rodriguez is only a telephone keystroke away.
As a 911 dispatcher for the Corpus Christi Police Department for the last four years, Rodriguez has heard the echoing sounds of tragedy that often come from the other side of the telephone receiver.
"I get a lot of different calls: domestic violence, fights, assaults, traffic accidents and medical emergencies," she said. "On the weekends and holidays, that's when things really get busy."
But the 27-year-old mother of one is quick to point out that a day on the job is nothing like an episode of the television show "Rescue 911."
"This is real life. There is no time for error and no time for mistakes," she said. "There are no second chances. You've got to be accurate, and you've got to know what you are doing."
Before becoming a dispatcher, Rodriguez worked at PetsMart in the Moore Plaza shopping center. She applied for the position after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper.
"After I read that ad, I knew that I had what it took to do the job," she said. "I wanted to have a job that I would enjoy and that would provide me with enough money to take care of my daughter."
Prospective dispatchers must go through an extensive background check before they are hired. They are required to learn how to use the computer system, memorize various emergency codes and how to react during a crisis situation.
Dispatchers not only take 911 calls but also are trained to dispatch those same calls to the police and fire departments.
They also must learn where every street is in the city.
"Geography was the hardest thing for me to learn," Rodriguez said. "I took a map, got in my car and drove around the entire city for hours. You've got to know where things are. It's such a large part of this job because when the call comes in, you don't have time to look it up on a map."
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| John Kennedy/Caller-Times |
| Catherine Rodriguez is quick at work typing in information on a 911 call. 'There is no time for error... You've got to be accurate,' she said. |
Rodriguez usually works four days a week, sometimes up to 10 hours a day. Her shift begins around 5:30 p.m. and on some days, she stays at work until the early morning hours.
"She is very outgoing and gets along well with everyone," said Sylvia Hernandez, Rodriguez's supervisor. "She knows and does her job very well and she takes it very seriously."
Manning the phones
On one recent evening, Rodriguez sat with several other dispatchers inside a room filled with multi-line telephones. A buzzer rings, alerting the dispatchers when a caller is on the line.
She listens to each caller attentively as she quickly types in calls. Every 911 call is recorded for safety purposes, she said.
That night, a call came in from a man who said he saw a small fire in a field near Roscher Road and Caribbean Drive. Rodriguez asked the man for his location, what he was seeing and whether anyone had been injured.
Later, a man whose car phone had been stolen called to see if an officer could come out right away.
And another call came from a woman who said her husband had abused her.
"Those are the worse calls to send an officer out to," Rodriguez said, referring to domestic violence calls. "Tempers are flying, and you don't know if somebody has a weapon."
Calls that hit home
Rodriguez said that many people have misconceptions about 911 dispatchers and the type of work they do.
"People think we just sit at a desk all day, but we work hard to get people the help they need," she said. "Everyone can't do my job because it's so stressful. I've seen people get hired and once they come in here and see what we do and how stressful it is, they can't handle it."
She recalled a recent report from a mother who dialed 911 because her child was sick and needed medical attention.
"It hits home, especially if you have a child that is close in age to that child," said Rodriguez, who has a 6 year-old daughter. "But you have to keep your feelings in check and know how to keep (your work) separate from what goes on in your life."
Prioritizing people's safety
Depending on the location of an incident, the call is dispatched to an officer who is assigned to that same location, she said. All calls are given a priority code, with the highest priority involving incidents where someone's life is in danger.
"When I take a call, I need to know the location, what's going on and if anyone has been injured," she said. "We need to know what calls need immediate attention and which ones can wait because there are only so many officers that are here."
When responding to a call, Rodriguez said she is not only concerned about the citizen's safety but also that of the officer.
"If someone has been injured or if the potential for injury is there, then I would want to send an officer out there as soon as possible," she said. "But officer safety is also important. An officer that is sent out to a call needs to know what to expect when they get there."
She said that although her job is stressful and leaves little time to spend with her family, she enjoys the satisfaction that comes from being a dispatcher.
"Next to an emergency response worker, I may have the most important job in the community," she said. "I am literally a connection between the officer and the citizen. I help save lives."
Staff writer Cynthia Hodnett can be reached at 886-4334 or by e-mail at hodnettc@caller.com
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