When you see people experiencing trauma, it can affect your mental health. So, imagine what it must be like to have to talk somebody through those experiences as part of your job. That’s what 911 dispatchers do every day, and it can take its toll.
Seventeen years ago, Brandy Dahlin’s former boss recruited her to work at the State Radio Communication Department after seeing her work as a waitress. She said he was impressed by her ability to remember customers’ orders without writing anything down— a useful skill for a dispatcher. But that skill didn’t necessarily prepare her for the emotional toll that being a first responder can take. She cites a particularly stressful day when she had to help a woman who had pulled over on the side of the road to give her husband CPR.