Lane County dispatchers keep emergency services running for holidays

When there's something strange in your neighborhood, who are you going to call? 911 dispatchers, most likely.

Nikki Martin, 32, is a six-year veteran dispatcher at the Lane County Sheriff's Office and one of several people who keep emergency services up and running over the holidays. Out of a small room on the first floor of the Lane County Public Service building, dispatchers sit at their desks, their faces illuminated by bright monitors as they receive and address calls on their headsets. Strings of Christmas lights and garland pinned along the walls illuminate the dim workspace. A crime drama plays on the TV.

The Lane County Sheriff's Office's new mental health and wellness K9, Cpl. Carlton roams the area, greeting visitors and dispatchers as they work at their desks.

"We dispatch for the sheriff's office, Junction City Police Department, Coburg Police Department, Oakridge Police Department, Oakridge Fire Department and Lane County Mobile Crisis," Martin told The Register-Guard. At all times, the dispatch office has one person working as the dedicated call taker and two other people handling radio traffic for all the units working in the field.

Though Christmas Eve just so happened to fall on her weekend, Martin worked Christmas Day.

"It's hard. Sometimes my family is doing their own thing, and I don't get to be a part of it, but a lot of times, we're able to celebrate a different day," Martin said.

On Christmas, those who are working usually plan a potluck and some community organizations donate food to the sheriff's office to keep staff well fed during their shifts.

What's it like being a dispatcher?

Having been born and raised in Eugene, Martin said she's always wanted a job that could help her make a difference.

"I was out of college looking for a big girl job. I always wanted a job where I knew I could make a difference and have an impact on my community. I wasn't really sure where that was going to be for a long time," Martin said. She received a bachelor's degree in general social sciences from the University of Oregon.

Six years ago, she applied to several open dispatch positions within the county and eventually landed at the sheriff's office. She's learned a lot about herself since then and considers dispatching her career.

"I learned that I am actually pretty good in a crisis. It can be a really hard job and we deal with a lot of hard things, but I think that it's just been really rewarding to be able to be there in those moments and help people through them and really make a difference and that makes it all worth it," Martin said.

She recalled the first time she gave CPR instructions over the phone. Since then, Martin said she's only given CPR instruction four times over her career and each patient wound up dying.

"Those always stick with me," Martin said. "Nothing ever really prepares you for that first time."

Another memorable incident happened in early December when the Lane County Sheriff's Office responded to a dispute with reports of shots fired at McCredie Hot Springs, 10 miles east of Oakridge.

Martin said the "holidays don't always bring out the best in people." Though summertime is usually when they're the busiest, calls regarding disputes tend to spike over the holidays.

On Dec. 9 at 2 a.m., deputies arrested a 44-year-old man who has since been charged in court on several counts of felony firearm possession, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, fleeing a police officer and unlawful possession of a machine gun.

She says she dispatched the call.

"Our radios, when we go that direction, don't work super great and they switch to an outer channel. All of the units in the valley can't hear what's happening because they're on another channel; only we can hear," Martin said. Therefore, the call taker had to relay information to the radio traffic coordinator regarding what was happening.

The deputies were talking to the 911 caller in person when the suspect, who was wanted on suspicion of firing a gun multiple times, drove by. The deputies went into pursuit.

She said the connection with deputies was really spotty, and it was hard to make out the information they were relaying over the radio.

"They end up turning down a dead-end road and are in this confrontation," Martin said. "One of our deputies came on the radio and said they have two at gunpoint, uncooperative and they didn't have portable, so they could only use the radios in their cars to talk to us."

Martin said about five minutes went by before they received notice the deputies were OK.

"I was scared for them. I didn't know if they were OK. We assumed that these people had firearms because it was reported there were gunshots. We don't know if shots had been fired, if our deputies had been shot or if they shot somebody," Martin said.

Outside of work, Martin said she finds solace in spending time with her husband and snuggling with their German shepherd, Fitz. She also enjoys reading and crocheting.

What does it take to become a dispatcher?

Martin said training to become a dispatcher took about a year.

"You have to be really good at multitasking," Martin said. "You get pulled in a hundred different directions at the same time."

"You have to be patient and calm. You're talking to people on the worst day of their lives and they're not always nice. A lot of times, they're going through a trauma and you have to navigate that to keep them safe and keep the responders who are going to the call safe," Martin said.

She explained it's important for dispatchers to have empathy and learn to keep cool and calm under high-stress situations. Working as a cashier at Fred Meyer helped her learn the customer service skills she needed to succeed at the job.

"I'm not sure I learned a lot in college that helped prepare me for this job," Martin said.

If she could give any advice to someone wanting to become a dispatcher, Martin recommended applying to participate in a ride-along with the sheriff's office.