911 dispatchers at work in the Lenoir-Jones 911 Center. They are, from left, Cameron Green, Susan Sanderson, Justin Banks and Crystal Johnson. Photo by Catherine Hardee / Neuse News

Most people will go years without dialing that three digit phone number, but it is a comfort to know that, in case of emergency, just pressing the numbers 9-1-1 on the phone will soon bring help. Calling 911 can bring police or firemen to the door, but a person in need never sees the person on the other end of that call.

The second full week in April is a week set aside to honor the people who provide this invaluable and largely invisible service to the community. National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week seeks to bring the spotlight to the dedicated men and women who are available around the clock for those in need.

Paige Johnson, 911 Operations Manager for Jones and Lenoir counties, says the area’s 911 dispatchers are the “first first responders.”

“They do so much more than answer the phone,” she said.

The dispatchers for Lenoir and Jones counties have certifications in emergency medical dispatch, which means they are able to provide basic medical advice over the phone, emergency fire dispatch and emergency police dispatch.

Commander Susan Sanderson has been working in the 911 call center for 20 years and said she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

“I love what I do. I love helping people, and being a voice of reason on the worst day of their life,” she said. The hardest part of the job, Sanderson said, is they “don’t hear an ending to the story that we are the beginning of.”

Justin Banks, who takes calls for all of Jones County, said he got his start in emergency services as a volunteer firefighter when he was 16. That gave him a taste for helping people and he said even though the job can be stressful, knowing he is able to help those in need makes it worthwhile.

The most challenging part of the job, he said, is remaining calm, and staying focused on one call at a time when the center is busy.

Two-year 911 veteran Cameron Green also got his start in emergency services as a volunteer firefighter, but he still serves in that capacity as well, which gives him a different way of looking at the job.

“Being out on both sides of the calls gives me a different perspective that everybody doesn’t get to have,” Green said. “We do a lot of difficult things, but there are always calls that stick out to you where you know you made a difference.”

Johnson said her staff of 20 full-time and two part-time operators is stretched thin, working mandatory overtime. There are staff shortages for 911 operators across North Carolina, she said, but she is very proud of the staff she has.

“I’ve got the best group of people I’ve ever had in my 18-year career,” she said. “If it wasn’t for them, I couldn’t do my job. We are a family that includes all the agencies in Jones and Lenoir County.”