Cal Fire dispatchers fielded 227 emergency calls at the storm’s peak in SLO County
Monday’s fierce storm turned a rainy morning into a countywide emergency in minutes, and at the front line of the response were the dispatchers who answered the flood of calls.
In 12 intense hours of the “bomb cyclone” storm lashing the county starting at 7 a.m., Cal Fire’s Emergency Command Center dispatchers processed 227 of those 911 calls as the disasters piled up, spokeswoman Toni Davis told The Tribune
That averages out to about one call every three minutes being handled by three dispatchers and two fire captains who were working at the time.
Davis said that’s a much higher volume than the normal number of calls handled at the center each day, let alone within only 12 hours.
She said that between 8 a.m. Monday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, Cal Fire units responded to three swift-water rescues, one surf rescue and 73 flooding calls, among a daunting array of other storm-related and fire events and the department’s typical calls.
Dispatch centers for law enforcement agencies and other fire departments also were inundated with calls pleading for help in the storm.
The Tribune requested response data from the county Sheriff’s Office, but due to the complex ongoing search case for the missing boy in San Miguel, officials were not able to respond in time for this report.
The violent storm and its effects continued beyond that 12-hour period, only providing a brief respite before the next wave of storms that arrived on Friday and were expected to last through Tuesday.
What happens when you call 911?
Davis said most 911 calls placed from cell phones in this county go directly to the CHP’s dispatchers, who can then route the calls to other agencies if necessary.
If the call involves fire, flood, disaster, accident, medical or other emergency, it often gets routed immediately to Cal Fire’s command center in San Luis Obispo.
The dispatchers then send units to the scene.
Cal Fire’s dispatchers often find themselves helping to coordinate their own and other fire units with law enforcers, ambulance providers, aircraft support and even tow services and utility companies.
“It’s a job for a multi-tasker who can listen,” Davis said. “You have to be able to hustle.”
A dispatcher can continue to monitor responses to a call while directing which Cal Fire units are needed where and which can be called back to be reassigned to another incident or emergency.
During the recent storm, the dispatchers took calls and sent units to such incidents as helping trapped people, mitigating the effects of floods, downed trees and electrical wires, and, in some cases, dealing with life-threatening and deadly situations.
As the storm drenched the county and whipped it with brutal winds, Cal Fire units were often among the first responders sent out to assess the situations, render aid, coordinate responses from PG&E and other resources, and still handle their usual raft of medical and other emergencies.
During the height of the storm, some requests for assistance were resolved more quickly than others, and help was even required from the Coast Guard helicopter for a rescue of one woman who got trapped in floodwaters.
Responsibility for some incidents shifted to other agencies, such as the deaths of two people, and the ongoing search for 5-year-old Kyle Doan from San Miguel who was swept away from his mother by rushing floodwaters.
People who experienced flooding on their property or in their structures can find information on how to get assistance from the county Office of Emergency services at www.recoverslo.org.
How the command center works
Cal Fire’s website describes its Emergency Command Center as including “a battalion chief (who) supervises six fire captains, eight communications operators and two information technology employees.”
The site says, “the ECC dispatches over 15,000 incidents annually for Cal Fire and seven other agencies,” which averages out to 41 calls a day.
Monday and Tuesday in this county were far from average.
On the two peak days of the storm and since, it’s been “all hands on deck at the center,” Davis said of the high-tension, heavy-responsibility jobs.
Dispatchers work 12-hour shifts, Davis said, while fire captains work three 24-hour days in a row.
It’s not a job for the faint of heart, and it’s one that’s suffered shortages nationwide in recent years, a problem that was detailed in an August NPR report.
“The dispatchers are in perpetual motion ... answering the phone, typing on their keyboards and relaying information via the police radio, all the while trying to keep callers calm,” according to reporter Austin Jenkins.
“Under the best of circumstances,” he said, “the role of 911 dispatcher is stressful. But these days it’s especially hard. That’s because, like in so many industries, there’s a shortage of people willing to do the job.”
How Cal Fire supports its employees
Local emergency response agencies do provide their front-line workers the support they need to perform a difficult job that can turn traumatic at any moment.
“We do have an employee services support group within every Cal Fire unit that’s here to take care of our own,” Davis said of that stress. “If they need it, it’s there, with somebody to talk to if we need them.”
She said Thursday that the center and the department were gearing up for the next wave of storms, which aren’t expected to be as intense. But with super-saturated ground, any rain can still cause serious flooding, winds can uproot trees and, combined, they can create other hazardous situations.
Response within the department and the center “is heartwarming,” Davis said, “with everybody preparing willingly, on their own, getting ready for this weekend’s storms. That’s awesome. … it’s people really caring about where they work and where they live.”
