A dark room inside Washoe County’s Regional Emergency Operations Center buzzes with phone calls at every hour of the day. When dispatcher Anna Rowley connects a call, she always asks the same question.
“911, what is the location of your emergency?”
She told 2 News Nevada on Wednesday that she thinks dispatchers get a bad rap as grouchy people, but she got into the job because she wants to help her community.
“I don’t want people to be afraid to call,” she said “I want them to know that they’ve got somebody on the other end that knows what they’re doing even if they’re learning still.”
Reno’s 57 dispatch center employees took nearly half a million calls in 2023, almost a call every minute. Operators and dispatchers are responsible for connecting callers with the right resources, be it police, fire, or medical services.
They have a clear-cut protocol on what questions to ask and in what order, Rowley said.
“Sometimes it can be frustrating for them, I’m sure, that we’re asking so many questions, but it’s for a purpose, and it’s never to delay any type of response. It’s to get them the help that they really need,” she said.
This week, the dispatch center is decorated with gold balloons and glittery streamers. It's National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, celebrating the country's 911 operators.
