Often, the role of a 911 dispatcher in the case of an emergency is overlooked.

“911 what’s the address of the emergency” are the first words you hear when you get ahold of the operator.

Dispatchers are trained professionals who are responsible not only for keeping callers calm during an emergency, they also keep track of where deputies and other emergency personnel are.

Some calls are harder than others.

“Children. Calls involving children are the biggest ones for me,” 911 dispatcher Brent Vogel said. “They don’t get themselves into the situations, and for adults it’s different. Not all of them, but most of them get themselves into the situation.”

A dispatcher works 8 to 10 hours a day, requiring every minute focused on the job and thinking clearly in stressful situations.

Some parts of the job are better than others.

“Because we don’t have closure of things, when we leave at the end of the day we have to satisfy our own minds that we did the best job that we did,” 911 dispatcher Kay Bates said. “Being able to do something that maybe someone else couldn’t do or being able to handle a situation that came out good in the end, that’s probably more satisfying.”

Daily Iowan TV has the full story.