An Inside Look at Our Emergency Communications Center: The EDC

This blog features interview questions with several of our emergency communications dispatchers including what their favorite thing about their job is, the craziest call they’ve ever gotten and more.

We believe that what really sets Kings III apart is the unprecedented service of our emergency communications center. Our Emergency Dispatch Center (EDC), as we call it, is not only staffed 24/7/365, but it also has a redundant off site center that allows us to function as per usual should something go awry in our building. If you are familiar with us at all, you know that we proudly and regularly share this information, along with the fact that our operators are Advanced Emergency Medical Dispatcher (AEMD), Red Cross CPR and HIPAA certified, a higher level than is often required in 911 emergency communications centers. Since you have heard us tout this information so often, we decided we’d give you a better and more personal view of the center through interviews with several of the dispatchers themselves.

Who We’re Talking To:

The Questions:

What do you think makes the EDC different than similar emergency communications centers?

I would have to say what makes us different is the professional but relaxed and friendly environment. I have never had a day where I have woken up in the morning and complained because I had to go to work. Everyone is very supportive of the other team members and this makes individual growth very easy to accomplish. -Josh

I think it makes all the difference that management values what we do and demonstrates this on a regular basis by all they do for us. -Jenny

EDC is different from other call centers because number one, we get paid higher than most, which goes to show the priority that Kings III places on what we do. We have a good backup system if things go wrong whether it’s with the staff, our computers, phones in the office as well as the equipment out in the fields. We give great customer service 27 hours a day and 365 days a year. – Tommy

What is the craziest call that you have had to dispatch?

I find the craziest calls I dispatch are the ones when people are very upset and using foul language. It is interesting to me that someone could think that this would help them get out of the elevator. Even though I am being treated badly in these situations, I try to keep in mind that they are acting that way in response to the situation and I of course am still going to get that person help and stay calm. – Amy

The craziest call I have handled was from a pool phone. A gentleman pressed the button and wanted to talk to the CIA because he saw a “foreign” van with gentlemen wearing suits and carrying briefcases. He was sure that these gentlemen were Russian Maffia and that they were illegally smuggling weapons into the country! – Josh

A grade school girl was stuck in a rubber baby swing in the summer at a nearby park. Because the swing was not meant for someone of her size, her blood circulation was being cut off in her legs. Someone ran to the property to utilize the emergency phone to call for help. -Jenny

The craziest call I had to dispatch was probably on a help phone. A woman who seemed to be hallucinating at a metro station called 7 times one night saying that the world was about to be over and people were after her. She changed her story several times and seemed to have different personalities. I ended up sending police out to assist. – Tommy

During the summer, a man called in and said that another man drowned in the pool. I asked where the patient was and he told me he was still in the pool and no one had got him out yet and didn’t seem like he wanted to help at all. – Travis

What is your favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing about my job is when people (passengers, testers and inspectors) comment that I sound cheerful or like I’m having a good day. I like them to “hear” my smile through the phone. – Amy

I would have to say helping people is what I enjoy most about my job. I am given the unique opportunity to help people when they are possibly having the worst day of their life. And to hear people who may have been at one time panicking in the elevator, calmly tell you thank you for being there for them is very rewarding. – Josh

My favorite thing about my job is being part of a great company that actually appreciates their employees. – Tommy

What is the hardest thing about your job?

Distress calls, for example, police dispatches, EMS dispatches and drownings. Knowing that these things have every chance of happening every day we have to be ready to deal with them at all times. – Amy

The most difficult part of my job again is the most rewarding, saving someone’s life is a catch 22. While it is very rewarding knowing that you made a difference today in someone’s life who was in severe distress, it is also very stressful handling that burden of being the person that they depend on to get them through the hardship they are dealing with. – Josh

Every call and every situation is different. I have never encountered some of the situations I get calls about and can’t always relate. Realizing that I need to change my perspective regarding them and how I treat each individual situation can be the hardest part of the job. – Travis

Hopefully now you have a little better insight into the type of people that are on the other side of your emergency communications calls. We are so proud of them, their work and how they represent our company. For more information on our emergency communications services, visit www.kingsiii.com.