| Frank C. Schaper |
Special People
| Frank C. Schaper is a Deputy Fire Chief for the St. Louis Fire Department. With 27 years experience at St. Louis Fire, Schaper developed and implemented the department's training programs. He is also an adjunct instructor with the National Fire Academy.
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It happened again the other night. While the staff pagers were going off, fire companies were already working the warehouse fire that eventually went to four alarms. I was at a meeting and hurried to my staff car. I radioed dispatch and made myself available.
Then I started towards headquarters to check in with the Emergency Operation Center (EOC). By the time I got there, 20 minutes later, I found things well in hand. The county had moved in an engine company to fill in one of our vacancies, and four of our own reserve engines had been backfilled by recall personnel. An off-duty battalion chief was on his way in. We were in good shape.
I decided to check things out in dispatch.
Touring the communications center during routine activity can be eye opening enough, but seeing it in the midst of a major incident is a real treat. Everyone in the fire service should witness this sometime during their career - especially impatient chief officers and supervisors. There is nothing quite like watching dispatchers work a multiple alarm fire to get a true understanding of what they really do. Every one ought to sit in those "hot seats" for at least one shift to gain an appreciation of the job they do.
No one likes to do three or four things at the same time while they work. It is difficult to concentrate and leads to frustration. But an emergency dispatcher thrives on just that. Multi-tasking is situation normal. They answer the phone, punch the computer keyboard, look at the screen, check the map, monitor the radio, dispatch units, write down pertinent notes, log the time, call for utilities, answer the phone, answer the radio, carry on a conversation with their partner, and still maintain a sense of humor. It is quite the juggling act. It's something I love to watch but would not be very thrilled to do.
And yet really good emergency dispatchers make it look so easy. While the world seems to be falling down around the rest of us, our dispatchers carry on expertly. Even during the most hectic of times, they stay calm and cool, maintaining their professionalism.
Not everyone can do that job. I have observed dispatchers at work on numerous occasions and have always come away with the same thought. To do what they do takes a special kind of person. They are indeed special people!
