Four 9-1-1 dispatchers were hired in Nampa and took their first day on the job today, July 11, 2016.
"First of all, you have to have an even temperament. You can't lose your temper on the phone with people who are nasty on the phone," said Brenda McAfee, Dispatch Training Officer of more than 27 years experience as a dispatcher.
In the training period it takes approximately 7 months until the dispatcher is taking calls independently. That is when both the dispatcher and their superiors see whether it is best to proceed with continued work.
"Like for instance, they make take a code blue infant call, where they have to talk to their parents through CPR and at that point they realize, 'This is something I cannot do on a day-to-day basis," says McAfee.
At least two of the new hires have prior dispatching experience.
"I like to take pride in the work that I do," said Jazmin Eguia, a newly hired dispatcher with prior experience. "And I like to make sure that everyone goes home safe, and everything has a good ending and we call get to come back the next day."
