By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
In 1989, emergency calls in Barton County consolidated into a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). This meant that instead of every emergency agency in the county having their own staff to send first responders out, there is one point of contact for all emergency personnel.
The 911 Communications, or dispatch, plays a vital role in protecting the life and property of Barton County citizens. 911 Director Dena Popp said extreme multitasking is needed for all of her employees as public safety communications officers.
"There are consistently changing paces, high stress, rotating shifts, nights, holidays, weekends...this job is not just for anyone," said Popp. "For some dispatchers, things we hear can take a toll on a person's mental health, such as babies not breathing, hearing gunshots or someone screaming loudly because a loved one is not breathing. You might not know if someone given CPR survived or if the conversation you had with somebody in mental health crisis made an impact."
Staff at the 911 Communications work 12-hour shifts and Popp said her department has been understaffed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Barton County will fully train any interested candidate.
"CPR and first aid is one of the first things we would have you get trained on," said Popp. "The second is called NCIC...National Crime Information Center. That's a certification through the state to do background checks, arrest records, convictions, driver's license and car tags. We do EMD, which is Emergency Medical Dispatch. That's a 24-hour course to give medical instructions to callers."
The Barton County Commission adopted the proclamation to honor 911 Communications staff by celebrating the National Public Safety Communications Officers Week from April 13 through April 19.