It’s National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week! April 10-16, 2022; is a time dedicated to celebrating and honoring the people helping others during some of the worst moments of their lives.
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Angela Brodbeck from Brady has worked as the Jail Administrator and TAC supervisor over the dispatchers since last November. She has worked in all areas of law enforcement in Texas since 1997, including County Clerk, Criminal Clerk, jailer, and has previous experience as a jail administrator. Her dad was a police officer. -
Courtney Grady from Richland Springs has worked as a San Saba County dispatcher for two years. This is her first job in law enforcement, and she enjoys the job and serving people and helping people. -
Shantel Black from Brady has worked for San Saba County as a dispatcher since January of this year. This is her first time in law enforcement, and she loves it! She stated she has always dreamed of working in law enforcement - since she was six. She has a family member who worked in corrections. -
Priscilla Castanuela from Rochelle has worked as a San Saba County dispatcher since last December. She has been in law enforcement for one year and four months. She has also worked as an EMT for six years. She is from a family of first responders, including fire department captain, paramedics, and a police officer. -
Tristan Owens from San Saba has worked as a San Saba County dispatcher on and off since December 31, 2014. He always wanted to work in law enforcement. -
Mari Gossett from San Saba has worked as a San Saba County dispatcher for almost two years. This is a new venture for her as this is her first time working in law enforcement. She had a cousin who worked as a jail sergeant who encouraged her in the direction of working as a dispatcher.
Who can be a Superhero? A superhero could be someone who is a quick thinker, a mind reader, and has good judgment skills, or someone who has the ability to multi-task while still being focused and detailed. A superhero could also be a good communicator, a good listener who is compassionate, and be the voice of calm in stressful situations. A person who can even help find your location even when you are not sure of it yourself is definitely a superhero!
Believe it or not, we have superheroes working right here in San Saba. This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 10-16, 2022), and we at the San Saba News & Star would like to recognize these local public servants. They are dispatchers for San Saba County, but that is not all. They are also dually certified and work as jailers each time they are on duty - a 12-hour shift.
Dispatchers play a very important role in law enforcement. Even though the role of a dispatcher can be incredibly hard and stressful, it is also deeply rewarding. The following information came from the local public servants pictured below and at right.
No doubt, many of us have had trouble from time to time not “taking our work home with us” and relaxing once we get home. This can also be true for dispatchers. Sometimes they think about the people who called and were helped and wonder if they could have, or should have, done things differently to achieve a better outcome. Many times they may never know the outcome of a situation on a call they took.
Sometimes, there are mentalhealth issues or drug issues with inmates, and the jails are not set up for that. Some inmates need help that the County jail is not set up to offer. This can be a real struggle for our law enforcement.
When a call comes in, the dispatcher has to remain calm even in tough situations such as accidents, domestic problems, fires, etc. But they have to keep the person they are talking to on the phone calm, too.
Sometimes when the dispatcher gets a call, they only get partial and sometimes inaccurate information. They can only make decisions and take action on the information given to them. If you call in and it seems like the dispatcher is asking you a lot of questions, please don’t get frustrated. It is only because they want to get you the right kind of help as soon as they possibly can. The more information they have, the better they can help you.
Even though there are many, many stresses that come with being a dispatcher, it is also a very rewarding career. They genuinely want to help the community and its citizens when they call, and they feel a sense of duty to do all they can to keep the officers and first responders safe. They get to know and work closely with the law enforcement officers in the Sheriff’s Office and Police Department.
They also noted that it is very rewarding when they get a call and are able to help and direct someone in lifesaving measures. Just knowing that something they did helped until the first responders arrived on scene is very rewarding.
Dispatchers are the first link of the chain in getting emergency help. Many of them grew up here and want to give back to the community and make San Saba an even better place for their children as they grow up.
Other things you might not know about being a dispatcher:
The dispatchers don’t just sit around all day talking on the radio; there is a lot more to it than that. Our dispatchers are dual-certified which means they not only monitor the radio, they also serve as jailers and are always juggling many duties at once. They answer emergent AND non-emergent calls. Besides monitoring the radio, they do intake for arrestees, fingerprinting, medications for inmates, get medical help for inmates who may need it, lots and lots of paperwork - just to name a few job tasks.
It’s more than just a phone call. Sometimes the things they hear are hard things to hear, hard stories to know. There is a lot of stress that comes with protecting and serving the community. Dispatchers do realize that when you call, it is ‘your bad day.’ They will do all they can to help deescalate the situation and get you the help you need. They have to listen, decipher, and direct first responders… all while staying on the phone and calming down and talking with the person who called in until help arrives.
Our dispatchers handle calls for officers, EMS, fire departments, Careflight, forestry (if needed to dump water on fires), City dispatch (such as with busted pipes and electric lines that go down, floods), Game Warden (if situation warrants), TxDOT (if there is a wreck), etc.
Every time you hear a siren, remember… it started with a phone call with one of these superheroes. They love their jobs, and they are giving their very best for San Saba County. If you see them, thank them for their service to our county. Show them your appreciation by sending baked goods, meals, gift cards to restaurants, etc. Certainly, always pray for them and their families.