Though the planned ceremony to honor Owensboro-Daviess County dispatchers was postponed due to the coronavirus, 911 central dispatch Director Paul Nave said he still wanted to recognize the work his staff does behind the scenes each and every day.
“I want to recognize my staff because they sacrifice a whole lot to be here,” Nave said. “Not everybody can do this job. It’s a very difficult job.”
Nave said dispatchers alway have to be there for to help provide help for other people, and they can’t afford to take days off.
“My staff, they’re concerned about the COVID-19 just like everybody else but they’re dedicated and they come to work every single day even dealing with this pandemic,” Nave said.
Neal Keelin, telecommunication and training officer, said she has seen everything while working as a dispatcher in Owensboro for 20 years. Every call is different, and a dispatcher never knows what to expect.
“I had a call where when I first started, a lady was needing assistance. She thought an ex-husband was in the home,” Keelin said. “He picked up the phone while we were talking, so I just acted like I was a girlfriend. And he had no indication that police were on their way until they got there.”
Keelin said it was one of her most memorable calls because it shows the nature of the job, which is to “fly by the seat of your pants and make those adjustments to make sure that your caller and everyone is safe.”
It’s rewarding to be able to make a difference and help somebody, Keelin said, and that’s what has kept her in the business for so long.
Lauren Shaffer, who became a dispatcher in July 2018, said she’s learned so much on the job and already realized she hopes to retire as a dispatcher one day.
Shaffer prefers working behind the scenes and said she doesn’t need the recognition because to her, helping people is a priority.
“I’ve learned that we don’t live in a small bubble, that there are all types of calls out there and everybody needs help,” she said. “For some people it may be the worse day of their life, and you’re there to help them.”
Nave has been with Owensboro-Daviess County central dispatch for a decade and oversees 32 people. He said the team is diverse and is like family to him.
Nave, who’s the first in the office and the last to leave, said he continues to encourage staff, and the best thing he can do to support them is to provide the equipment and tools they need to help them do their job better to serve the community.
