Page 124 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2019

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
behind the screens
NOTHING HAPPENS IN BILOXI
Without Dispatchers
story by Vincent Creel and Cecilia Dobbs Walton photos courtesy of the City of Biloxi
BILOXI DISPATCHERS LEFT TO RIGHT: Lola Gruich, Desiree Hernandez, Freida Moffett and Brenda Zorich.
W hen you think of first responders, you think of the most vivid images: racing police cars
with flashing blue lights, or the imposing fire trucks, with their flashing red lights, blaring sirens
and powerful diesels that drive engines and water pumps.
Those are some of the primary images, but the fact is, there is a corps of workers behind the scenes – or behind the screens – who are the unsung and unseen profession- als who make it all happen in police and fire departments across the country.
In Biloxi, it’s a team of nearly two dozen professionals who, in 12-hour shifts, work ‘round the clock – 24/7 – in the Public Safety Communications Center. Like the staffers inside, it’s a relatively unnoticed and nondescript building on Popp’s Ferry Road, but it’s the vital link between the public and the first responders who keep them safe.
They are your first call in times of crisis, large or small, and they even have a short phone number – 911 – to help make things easy when seconds count.
And do they get calls. The typical shift of five dispatchers, more on special events, handles a new call every four min- utes, dozens more in times of crisis or during the special events Biloxi hosts on any given weekend. In fact, during spring break a few years ago, more than a thousand calls were processed for spring break alone, on top of the calls generated citywide.
Calls range from complaints about the barking dog from the neighbor’s house to complaints about road or bridge closures, traffic accidents, the smell of smoke, or even ques- tions about the weather. Then, of course, there are the other calls: the domestic disturbances, which can be some of the deadliest calls officers respond to; the all-too-often car-train crashes; fights; or reports of loud noises, such as fireworks
WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE
CITY OF BILOXI First Responders
124 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2019
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Heroes