LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — While most people consider police, firefighters, ambulance, rescue and other emergency personnel as “first responders,” another group of often unrecognized personnel fall into that realm.

When an emergency strikes, the phone lines of dispatch centers light up brighter than Christmas trees as the well-trained personnel react to the need.

Often called the “unsung heroes of public safety,” dispatch personnel are the first to receive calls, then gather necessary information to pass along to the appropriate agencies. Whether the situation requires law enforcement, medical personnel, firefighters, rescue personnel or other responders — or whether all may be needed — the dispatchers are the eyes and ears that respond and send out the cry for help.

With the week of April 8 - 14 as National Telecommunicators Week, those dedicated persons who send out distress messages to first responders are being recognized for their selfless efforts.

While the emergency personnel is en route to the crisis, the dispatcher is gathering vital information regarding the location, situation, and other needed information to assist the responders.

Everyday Kentucky residents depend on the skill, expertise, and commitment of those men and women who fulfill that first and fundamental duty.

“Our telecommunicators work on the front lines of public safety,” said Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer. “The services they provide cannot be measured in dollars, for life is priceless, and the work they do often saves lives on a daily basis. It is fitting we take this time to recognize their many contributions to the mission of the Kentucky State Police.”

Helping people is what brought Les Leatherman, shift supervisor for the London Post 11 Dispatch, to his current position. After five years working at the London-Laurel County 9-1-1 Dispatch Center, Leatherman put his experience to use at the dispatch center for the Kentucky State Police. In 2009, he was promoted to shift supervisor of the dispatch center.

“I like to help people,” Leatherman said of his career choice. “But I’ve seen a lot of changes over the past 15 and 20 years.”

He credits the advances in technology for most of the changes, which he said has saved many lives during that time.

“The calls we get have constantly increased over the years, and a lot of that is because of cell phones. In the past if someone saw a driver they thought was under the influence, they had to drive to the next exit and use a pay phone to call police,” he said. “Now, with cell phones, they can call and give a location or direction and even follow the person to get that. That has undoubtedly saved many, many lives.”

Another advancement is the use of the LINK and NCIC systems, which is used in checking vehicle tags, driver’s license and the crime checks. While dispatchers today undergo training to use these programs, Leatherman said he was one of those who learned by trial and error.

“On my first day, I was sat down at a desk, given a pen and some paper and told that I had to push one button for the phone and push the other button for the radio,” Leatherman laughed. “Everything now comes up on a computer screen. But to this day, I still keep my pen and paper ready.”

Miranda Luttrell, a nine-year veteran at the KSP Dispatch, has had all the current training, which involves a four-week preparation at the criminal justice training program in Richmond at the Eastern Kentucky University campus.

Luttrell’s interest in becoming a dispatcher peaked while she was a senior in high school.

“I actually shadowed at the Russell County 9-1-1 and I thought that would be an interesting job,” she said. “It’s exciting, it’s always different, and it’s always a challenge.”

The job, though often stressful, has some perks as well.

“The troopers have to report on the scene and let us know the outcome of the call, so we know how things turned out,” Luttrell explained. “And that’s good, because sometimes we wonder what happened in a call we’ve dispatched out.”

While rapport with the troopers is important, Luttrell said having a good rapport with callers is even more imperative.

“Sometimes we are the only contact a caller has and how we act may be the only opinion they have of the entire agency,” she said. “It’s important for us to be professional and help them.”

Other KSP Post 11 telecommunicators include David Anders of Keavy, Doug Jones of Lily, Brian Bullock of Brodhead, Derek Baker of Corbin, and Angel Sloan, John Moreland and Joe Jones, all of London.



njohnson@sentinel-echo.com