By Kim Gritter
Times-Picayune
NEW ORLEANS — They are the link between the caller and essential personnel in the event of an emergency. And the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office has worked hard to make sure its 911 operators are well-trained to handle any situation.
The Sheriff’s Office is concentrating on advanced training programs for its communications division, which operates the 911 emergency system from its headquarters on West St. Bernard Highway in Arabi.
Col. Jerry Rathburn, who heads the Sheriff’s Office’s technology and communications division, said the 17 people on his staff have completed the certification process offered by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, an industry association.
“What you have to understand is that the communications office is the first and only connection between the public and the deputies,” said Rathburn, who has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1986. “All calls come through us and the operators have to have the skills to think quick and not only know where to send the calls, but also have the ability to calm the caller down and get the necessary answers out of them.”
Operators work 12-hour shifts, with never less than four on duty at any given time, Rathburn said. Two take incoming calls on the 504.271.2501 and 911 lines, one monitors the whereabouts of deputies on duty and dispatches them to calls, and another makes inquiries and entries through local, state and federal computer systems to verify registration and drivers licenses and check criminal backgrounds.
Rathburn said the communications division fields approximately 10,000 calls per month, with about 4,000 translating into actual dispatches. He said the center has the technology to allow operators to instantly dispatch emergency personnel such as firefighters and EMTs, while allowing them to remain on the line with the caller to obtain more information.
Capt. Angela Huff Peraza, assistant communications commander, said callers often get frustrated when 911 operators ask questions.
“Let’s say if it’s a suspicious person call, if we ask them what’s a description or what the person is doing or wearing, most people don’t realize the importance of why we are asking those questions,” Peraza said. “They just want us to send help now.”
Peraza said the most common calls are to report suspicious persons.
“It’s usually just people who are looking out for their neighbors,” she said.
The biggest challenge for operators is being able to discern over the phone what is a real emergency and what is not.
“We’ve received some calls for silly things like people wanting to know if the post office is open, or if Rocky and Carlo’s is open, or to tell us their garbage hasn’t been picked up,” Peraza said. “We’ll ask those people to call back on the 2501 number.”
Another perk afforded to the division by the sophisticated computer equipment is the ability to monitor and record every call that comes into the radio room for future reference, whether it be for investigative reasons or educational purposes. Operators are quizzed regularly, Peraza said.
Dep. Shannon Cooper, who has been a 911 operator for the Sheriff’s Office for a year and a half, said the number of calls varies from shift to shift.
“Sometimes we get a ton of calls, other times not that many,” Cooper said. “If there’s a festival or a parade, there are always more calls.”
When true emergencies arise, Cooper said operators must be prepared to spring into action while remaining calm.
“You have to put yourself in their position,” she said. “If you were in their situation, you would want the person on the other end to be calm because you are trying to get help there as soon as you can.”
Cooper said she and her fellow operators are eager to help people in their time of need, but that cooperation is essential.
“Details, details, details,” she said. “We try to get the best information we can for our deputies. I don’t want anything to happen to the people on the scene, but I also don’t want anything to happen to our deputies, either.”
Copyright 2009 Times-Picayune