Above and beyond

Selected from among her colleagues by her colleagues, Shannon Hunt was named the 2017 Dispatcher of the Year based on her unyielding efforts as a dispatcher, an office encourager and a community servant.

Now in her seventh year as a 911 dispatcher at the Office of Emergency Services in Kalispell, Hunt devotes herself to making the high-stress environment she and her fellow dispatchers endure each day more positive while ensuring the safety of both the community and other first responders.

“Outside of being a great dispatcher, she’s a great role model for others,” said Flathead Emergency Communications Center Director Elizabeth Brooks. “She’s a great example of how to act as an ambassador for 911, whether it’s on the floor while dealing with a call or out in the public just representing 911.”

Though she didn’t get to vote with the dispatchers on who would receive this year’s honor, Brooks said she was very pleased with the choice.

Long hours followed by overtime with few vacations in between can test the most experienced dispatchers, but budgeting issues accompanied by staffing cutbacks made 2017 one of the most challenging years yet.

As the process of finding a long-term funding solution for the agencies continues, the 911 call center has had to make sacrifices to meet more immediate budgeting needs, according to Brooks. Last year, administration made the decision to eliminate two vacant dispatcher positions, putting further strain on the dispatchers allotted.

“It’s easy to get down when you feel like you don’t have everything you need to provide the services that responders in the field and in the public need,” Brooks said.

As the remaining dispatchers learned to cope with further limited vacation and sick leave on top of the everyday stresses of handling emergencies, another blow came in the form of a technology shift as the center opted for different call equipment.

The new system replaced the dispatchers’ wireless headsets with ones that plugged into their stations, improving sound quality but also anchoring dispatchers to their desks at times when Hunt said she used to be able to move freely to encourage or support her coworkers when tough calls came and stuck with them.

Hunt took the changes in stride, however, working to encourage and spread positivity to a frustrated and widely overworked office.

“All the calls we take all the time are so negative it’s just hard to find any positivity other than just reminding them why we’re here, why we do what we do,” Hunt said.

She papered one wall of the call center, covering it with inspirational messages of encouragement and allowing her coworkers to do the same.

Hunt took the time to decorate each dispatcher’s personal locker for their birthdays and took the lead on decorating the entire office for special events and holidays.

She then took her morale-boosting efforts a step further, spearheading the decision to have dispatchers adopt a family for Christmas, researching and choosing a deserving family, putting up a tree for dispatchers to contribute gifts and making the special delivery herself.

“I really enjoy helping the community. I want to give back,” Hunt said. “I really feel humbled to have the opportunity to help people in a negative situation and try and support them as much as I possibly can.”

Familiar with the unique trials and stresses that dispatchers face day to day, Hunt also instituted a training program for new dispatchers to help familiarize them with the complex, and at times gruesome, situations their job would bring, emphasizing the importance of self-care and teaching them how to cope.

“It’s the toughest job that you’ll ever love, but you give it your all and it definitely is rewarding,” Hunt said.

Going forward, Hunt said she hopes the center will continue to improve and said she hopes to continue educating the public on the importance and purpose of their local 911 dispatchers.

She reminds the public to be patient with their dispatchers and to remember that each question asked is intended to help keep both the public and responders safe.

“It’s not a job that just anybody can do,” Brooks said. “It’s tough to hire a dispatcher. It’s tough to find someone who can be a dispatcher.”

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.