When people think of emergency services, most people think of police, fire, and EMTs but there’s one position that makes the whole system go: 911 dispatcher.
Debra Elmore held that job for 25 years for Attala County and the City of Kosciusko.
“I always wanted to dispatch, but there wasn’t an opening, so I applied for a secretary job and I got it,” said Elmore.
As secretary however, Elmore did get dispatch experience, filling in for other dispatchers when they would take a break.
When RJ Adams took over his first stint as Chief of Police , Elmore made the move over to dispatcher permanently.
Elmore said the job as dispatchers requires a lot of multitasking.
“You have to have the ability to talk to two or three people at the same time and keep everything straight.”
And while most people think of 911 calls as fires or car wrecks, a different kind of call usually came in while Elmore was on duty.
“You can guarantee if I was there, somebody was going to have a baby. I have delivered so many babies over the phone.”
Elmore’s last day on working as a dispatcher was June 28.
“The last 25 years has been a ride…a wild one. I’m so honored to have served the city of Kosciusko and Attala County.”
Hear more from Elmore in the audio link below.
Audio: Debra Elmore visits The BreckFast Show
