TELECOMMUNICATIONS WEEK 2009

Mindy Our Provo Dispatcher of the Year

This was in the Deseret News Today, a ceremony to award Disaptchers in Utah. Of course I am soooo proud of our Center, and of Becky for winning the Dispatcher of the Year for ALL of Utah. She is amazing, but then so are all the other dispatchers I work with. There is no other dispatch Center I have ever worked at, who has the caliber of Dispatchers that Provo does at this time. I am so proud that I get to work with these wonderful women. I also want to share that Mindy won Dispatcher of the Year for the Center. Both women are hard workers, and give 100% to all they do. Below is part of the article written about our Center from the Deserest News. We do have the best Center in all of Utah!! And now everyone knows it..



PROVO — Picture sitting at a desk with six telephones. Let's say two start ringing at the same time. A bit awkward, but manageable.
Now, imagine all six phones ringing off the hook for three hours. Think you can handle it?
Provo's dispatchers did on Feb. 17, 2008, when a fiery explosion rocked the Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe Company, shaking homes for miles around and prompting a flood of calls to 911.
"With all those lines going off, I don't know how they were able to do it," said Provo Police Lt. Jeff Lougee, who was dispatch manager at the time. "It was multitasking at its utmost at that moment."
The Provo City Communications Center, the Valley Emergency Communications Center and the DPS/Box Elder Communications Center were all honored Friday by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials for their calm yet quick responses to emergencies during the 2008 year.
"What the dispatchers do every day is so important," said Gigi Smith, president of the Utah chapter of APCO. "(To some) they're just a voice behind a telephone. But people don't realize what they do in a day's work."Provo's dispatchers were honored for their ability to get important information to those who needed it, despite being inundated with calls from neighbors worried the explosion was in their neighborhood.
At some points, lines were so jammed that dispatchers had to use personal cell phones to contact Lougee and fire officials.
The chemical explosion at the plant injured 11 people and shut the plant down for several weeks.
Normally Provo has four dispatchers working Sunday nights, but luckily, this night there were four plus two trainees who are now full-time employees. Lougee also praised another dispatcher who heard the 10 p.m. explosion at home, knew they would be inundated and came into work on her own.
"This group that was involved are some of our most experienced dispatchers," Lougee said. "We were lucky to have our A team on. They're a fun group; they like that kind of pressure; they like doing their job knowing that they've done it to the best."Provo's Becky Berge, who won Dispatcher of the Year, also was working the night of the explosion where her "extreme ability to multitask" came in very handy, Lougee said.
Along with being an exceptional dispatcher, Berge is a communications training officer who helps instruct new hires, a tactical dispatcher who works with officers during hostage and negotiation situations and an expert as it relates to Provo's use of the Bureau of Criminal Identification system.
"Becky is the type of employee who not only works hard on her assignments but also works to promote teamwork between her co-workers," wrote Heather Perkins, Berge's dispatch shift supervisor in a letter of recommendation to APCO. "She is not a flashy, attention-seeking employee wanting constant validation for her good works. Instead, she works quietly and consistently to keep the dispatch center running smoothly and cohesively."

NOTE: I also want to thank KJ and Heather for all the hard work they did to decorate our Center with Disneyland Fantasies. It was beautiful, and all the work they did just to let us know they care for all of us. They put all they had into it, and I know they spent a pretty penny for all the lovely decorations. And a Thanks for Rachel, Lt. Wolken, and Capt. Bolda for a wonderful BBQ, and to Lt. Lougee for the cute pansy's, and to all those who brought us treats, even Orem Dispatch, you are always so thoughful.