Answering the call

Portland’s 9-1-1 Center fielded 42,194 calls in January – an average of 56 calls every hour of the day. Whatever the nature of the emergency -- fire, police, or medical -- the city's dispatchers are standing by 24/7. We recently caught up with Erica Gregg, one of the 125 dispatchers who take calls at the City’s Bureau of Emergency Communications to find out more about her work. 

What does an emergency dispatcher do? We're the connection point with anybody having an emergency. We answer 911 phone calls and send out emergency responders for police, fire and ambulance. So we’re here anytime anyone needs that type of help. 

How many calls have you taken in your career? Oh my gosh. Thousands. I’ve worked here for 21 years, so I’ve taken thousands and thousands of calls.  

Emotions must run high sometimes. People are scared. They are afraid of what might happen. They just witnessed something traumatic or something traumatic happened to them. It could be a passerby just going about their day and being put in the midst of something, like someone driving by a car accident and seeing something horrific. Or someone coming home to find a loved one that’s sick. So they're calling us at the worst moments of their life. Something is changing for them in that moment, and we witness that through their voices. 

How do you help people calm down and communicate? We use a lot of tactics. Sometimes we have to meet them at their level and then try to bring them down. Sometimes it's just maintaining a calm voice. Sometimes it's explaining what we're trying to accomplish, getting some details that will help the responders. Some callers are like, Stop asking me these questions, just please get someone here. And I let them know the responders are already on their way, but I need to help them know more about the scenario. 

So in some cases, the responders are on their way while you’re asking questions. Exactly. So like a fire, we get those dispatched within 30 seconds. But we’re still asking questions to find out if someone’s inside, make sure the caller is safe, get information to help the firefighters. 

What drew you to this line of work? Right out of high school I worked as a wildland fire dispatcher for the Oregon Department of Forestry. And I liked the whole idea of dispatch and response and serving the community. So I applied here and got hired and here I am 21 years later. 

What does it take to be a good dispatcher? We have to be able to be really empathetic but also have the ability to move on and take that next call. We have to think quickly and make decisions and multitask. We're constantly thinking ahead. For example, firefighters might need the power company to shut off power or gas lines. Officers dealing with someone in a mental health crisis might need an ambulance on standby to transport someone to safety. Critical thinking is key in this job. And the ability to listen. To hear what's being said and what’s not being said. A tone of voice can say a lot. Someone telling me, Oh, I'm fine. But you hear an angry voice in the background. Maybe they're not fine. 

What do you like to do when you’re not working? I play the drums for the Portland Police Highland Guard. It’s a bagpipe band. We play at memorials for officers or firefighters who perish in the line of duty. We also do fun events like St. Patrick’s Day. Music is a wonderful outlet for me.  

Drums and pipes! That must be kind of loud. Yes, we’re loud. We practice with the Fire Department band at Station 23. That’s one of the things I really like about Portland. I like that it’s so welcoming and that people can be who they want to be in this city. There's so much energy and creativity here. 

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