911 operators: Unsung heroes

As a middle-aged businessman in the Flathead Valley and an athlete most of my adult life, I have had more than my share of “nine lives” and, most certainly, an above-average number of visits to the emergency room. You could say I’m a bit accident prone but that was not the case a couple of weeks ago  when I had to rely heavily on the professionals at our local 911 call center in Kalispell.

To be honest, I don’t even remember dialing the number but even in my weakened condition upon the arrival of the EMTs, I was clutching my phone with a “death grip” as I thought the 911 operator, Erin, was my lifeline. I didn’t want to let go! As I learned later, I was slipping in and out of consciousness, incoherent, nauseated, high temperature and underwent several seizures before I was transported by ambulance to the end of my road, where the Life Flight helicopter was waiting for me. The EMTs say I was still asking “where the hell the 911 operator was.”

I recognized this young, professional woman as a caring, compassionate individual who truly had a genuine interest in a happy ending to my desperate call to dispatch. I have seen 911 operators in the past get a bad rap when one call out of a thousand might go sour; but what about the other 999 successful outcomes?

These operators have a high-stress-level job, I can assure you. They deal with drunks, menial partner disputes, high school drama, even idiotic complaints from a disgruntled customer at a fast-food restaurant who didn’t get his fries at the drive-up. They have to sift through the legitimate and sometimes unnecessary calls with a trained ear and diplomatic nature.

My emergency may not have been life-threatening but it felt like it to me at the time and I, for one, commend this organization wholeheartedly with great appreciation!

Kevin Moore, Bigfork