SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Lora began her career in 1981 as a dispatcher at Valley Com 911 in Kent, Washington and held multiple positions on the way to Executive Director in 2011. Active in the 911 industry, she served as President and Secretary of the Washington Chapter of APCO/NENA, worked on the Transform 911 Blueprint for change with the University of Chicago Healthlab, and was the Board Chair of the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network. Lora has earned APCO certifications as a Registered Public-Safety Leader and Certified Public-Safety Executive. She retired from Valley Com 911 in 2024 after 40 years of service. 

LYNN: Can you describe for our readers in general terms how the 911 call center works?

LORA: How the 911 call center is structured and operates depends on the decisions made by local jurisdictions, meaning police & fire departments, cities and counties. There is not an over-arching entity nationwide that dictates governance and operations, but there are two predominant models; an agency formed in partnership with multiple cities and/or public-safety agencies, or as a department within a city/county serving a single agency. 

Typically, when a person calls 911, the call is routed by location of the caller to the 911 center that handles law enforcement for that area. The call receiver will ask questions to determine specific location and type of emergency and enter an incident into the computer system which is then routed to the appropriate dispatcher for alerting officers in the field. If the situation needs fire or medical response, the call receiver will either transfer the caller to another dispatch center or, if it is a combined 911 center, will enter a computer incident for the fire dispatcher. The call receiver will stay on the phone with the caller to obtain more information to update the incident so the dispatcher can keep the responding units informed. Not all calls to 911 are actual emergencies or “in progress,” so the call receiver may gather all the information and release the caller before creating an incident to dispatch.

LYNN: If you get a call for a suspected major crime or homicide, how does it change the call or the response by the operator?

LORA: 911 calls rarely present as someone reporting a homicide. They will describe a fight, or an injured person, or some type of suspicious situation. And even if someone says they are reporting a murder, the call receiver must ask clarifying questions to determine the actual situation. Words matter. For example, a caller may excitedly say “I’ve just been robbed!” but when asked if there were weapons or injuries, the caller may say, “No, I just came home from being at work all day and someone broke into my house while I was gone.” This is not a robbery but a burglary and likely did not “just” happen. This ‘questioning’ process occurs on every 911 call. The caller states something, and then the 911 professional clarifies their meaning. If the caller is cooperative in answering questions, this takes seconds. If the situation is truly a life-threatening or a major crime incident, it is quickly entered and dispatched, with follow-up questions and answers being supplemented for the dispatcher to relay.  

LYNN: What kind of training do your operators go through?

LORA: The training process can range from a few weeks to two years, depending on the size and complexity of the agency. The 911 center I worked in had a 10-week academy for call receivers to learn the policies, geography, telephone system, computer aided dispatch system and techniques for obtaining information from callers. 

There are multiple tests the trainee must pass during the academy to continue their training. After the academy, they are assigned to the floor, and a trainer sits with them on every call until they demonstrate proficiency. If progress isn’t seen and established benchmarks met, the trainee is terminated.

One-on-one training can take four to six months. They then work independently for at least a year before going back to the academy to learn how to dispatch and manage the field units. After the four-to-six-week dispatch academy, they are again assigned a floor trainer until they demonstrate proficiency on the police and fire radios, which can be another six months. Failure to meet benchmarks here may result in being reassigned as a call receiver only. The goal, however, is to have all employees able to both call receive and dispatch.

LYNN: What are you looking for when you hire someone?

LORA: A successful applicant will be over the age of 18 with no felony convictions on their record. They will be able to type 40 words per minute, pass a test to measure their ability to multi-task, such as asking questions while typing on a keyboard, and pass a psychological assessment. This job is stressful and demanding.

Recent scientific studies suggest the negative stress and PTSD injuries experienced by 911 professionals is greater than that of police and fire personnel. 

Finally, the applicant must be flexible and willing to work weekends, holidays, night shifts, and in all types of weather. The reality of staffing a 911center 24/7/365 means people are working during Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, at 3 am on weekends, and during snowstorms. There is no “I can’t get to work because the roads are icy.” 

LYNN: What’s the turnover rate?

LORA: From hire date to working independently the turnover rate can range from 50 to 65%, meaning over half do not pass their 12-month probation and are terminated or resign. That hurts, considering it takes 18-24 months to go from new hire to fully trained. 

Factors include inability to put all the separate elements they have learned in the academy together and then apply those to real life. Or they may successfully demonstrate proficiency but discover the job is too stressful; they don’t like missing family gatherings or having to work the graveyard shift.

Few people retire from 911 as a call receiver or dispatcher. In Washington State, 911 professionals can’t fully retire until age 65, and the work is emotionally taxing and hard on a person. Also, few opportunities exist to promote or transfer off the floor to administration or management.

LYNN: Do operators get (or need) counseling support?

LORA: Yes, 911 professionals often need counseling or other emotional support.  My Center has a robust employee assistance program that is confidential. We have peer support teams, critical incident debriefing teams, have brought in support animals (dogs, miniature horses, and even llamas!), and have a chaplaincy program.

Supervisors and the peer support team members are trained to recognize the need to intervene and offer assistance. After difficult calls, employees are encouraged to unplug and take time in a quiet space and/or go home if necessary. They don’t often opt to go home as they know that usually means a co-worker is called in or held over to cover their shift. Most centers run right at minimum staffing levels and are constantly hiring and training to get to full staffing.

LYNN: When you were an operator, did you ever have to handle a homicide? If so, can you describe what happened (without naming names)?

LORA: I spent 25 years working in the com room before moving to management.  There were many, many incidents that involved death, be it homicide or not, and they all blur together after a while. I do recall working a police radio one night and had to dispatch officers to what was described by the caller as a fight, with sounds of gunshots coming from a large field at the edge of the city limits.

As the officers were going in to figure out what was going on, they also heard gunshots. Just imagine yourself in that situation! Could you wade into that scene knowing you would likely become the target once they see the uniform?

Officers did go in and told me they had one person down (shot), then a few seconds later they had a second person down, then a third, and finally a fourth. Fire units were staging nearby until the scene was secure, which took some time. I know at least one person was dead and the others were transported to the hospital, but don’t know if they lived or died.  

LYNN: I know you create strong bonds with many of the first responders because of your job, can you talk about that a little?

LORA: Spending 10-12 hours working a radio with a crew of police officers, sharing stressful and boring times together definitely creates a bond. Dispatchers can manage 30 or more officers on a radio, each handling different calls or activities. They are constantly monitoring locations, sending resources as needed, doing various tasks they request and checking on them to make sure they are okay and sending help if they are not. 

The radio can be quiet, nothing major going on, and then suddenly an officer screams on the radio that they need help! It is incredibly intense on both sides of the radio, and that shared experience can forge equally intense bonds.

The public cannot relate to the intensity of the work, the horrible things that people do to each other, the injuries, and the accidents. Even family members can’t. On the other hand, dispatchers, police officers, and firefighters can relate and understand each other’s experiences.

LYNN: What happens after the initial call ends and the first responders have arrived?

LORA: 911 calls just keep coming. The call receiver disconnects from one call and within seconds another one is delivered to them. They don’t know where or what type of call they will get next. Hang up from a physical domestic call, and the next may be a barking dog complaint, then a cardiac arrest, then a shoplift, then a fire.  There is no time to ponder a previous call. While call receivers handle one call at a time, dispatchers manage multiple calls with more waiting to be dispatched when there is an available unit. 

LYNN: Are the operators ever informed as to what happened at the call site?

LORA: Dispatchers and call receivers know basic info because the officers and/or firefighters are talking with them on the radio and will give a clearing code when the call is done. It provides a rough idea of the situation but not in great detail.  The dispatcher might ask, but the officers are on to the next call themselves, or at the station handling paperwork, evidence, bookings. Whatever call they were interested in has usually been replaced by the next call, and the next.   

LYNN: What’s the toughest case that you or one of your operators had to deal with?

LORA: That varies with the person, but I will say the most difficult situations are when a police officer or firefighter is injured or killed on duty. I have worked several and can recall nearly every second and every emotion. Officers I personally knew. Calls involving children are devastating. Hearing a husband begging his wife not to be dead. I have not worked in the com room since 2008 when I moved into admin, and I’m tearing up typing this answer. It never leaves you. 

LYNN: What case has left the strongest impression on you (positive or negative)?

LORA: It isn’t a case or call that comes to mind, but the resiliency and dedication of the people in 911. They are often not thought of or recognized for their work unless they are being second guessed and criticized.

People will say “911 came out today,” not recognizing that 911 is independent of police of fire. They hear the worst of the worst. They are yelled and cursed at by callers, sometimes treated badly by field units, are expected to know where people are when they themselves don’t know, and to instantly make officers appear on the scene. They work difficult hours. Overtime is the norm, and they are literally plugged into a console unable to take a break until someone sits down behind them and relieves them. They get themselves to the 911 center no matter what. There is no “work from home” for 911, and the building is never, ever empty. To me, they are heroes.

LYNN: Wow, thank you so much, Lora. I have known you for a long time and have admired your ability to maintain such a balanced lifestyle and a sunny personality. I watch and read a lot of murder mysteries (of course!) and am amazed at the resilience of the professionals who do the work. I’m so glad you also called out the people you worked with. Clearly, they deserve our thanks and appreciation.