By Rita Burris
Indianapolis Fire Department PIO
Below is a link to an mp3 of the first calls made to 911 dispatch with regard to the Belmont fire in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 15, 2013.
The exact number of calls taken that day has not been tallied although it believed to be extensive over a several-hour period. Please listen to the calls and take note of the difficult task that tele-communicators often face when incidents of this type occur as calls pour into the 911 dispatch center (at 1:35 sec).
Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) Telecommunications typically has six tele-communicators on duty at any given time and on this particular day there were six on duty and three brought in to help shortly after the incident began. This included Communications Director Sherry Taylor. Assistant Communications Director Jeff Taylor was on hand as well, charged with securing the MECA van and bringing it to the incident scene.
The atmosphere inside the dispatch center often goes from “relative calm” to “controlled chaos” within the blink of an eye yet these professionals never seem to waiver in their ability to remain calm under pressure. Tele-communicators are the first line of communication between the public and the public safety officers that serve the city of Indianapolis. Their demeanor, knowledge, and approach to an emergency situation often sets the tone for how the event plays out.
This set of calls clearly illustrates how difficult it can be to extract and comprehend information from an outside caller that may be distressed, excited, agitated or confused. Not to mention the fact that while all of the activity was happening on Belmont the rest of the city remained active and in need of emergency services as well. The IFD along with all of public safety wishes to acknowledge the often unnoticed hard work performed by these public servants and to thank them for their daily dedication.
Download the calls as an mp3 HERE.
