In Durango, emergency dispatchers tackle the cumulative stress of a thankless profession
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DURANGO, Colo. — “911, where’s the address of your emergency?” Xavia Hahn asked.
With eight screens in front of her, she quickly typed in information from the caller on one screen, pulled up a map of La Plata County on another and monitored police officer dispatch on a third.
Each day, the Durango Emergency Communications Center handles up to almost 400 emergency and non-emergency calls from La Plata County with a rotating team of 16 dispatchers and two call takers. Call takers receive the call while dispatchers communicate with emergency personnel in the field, like police and EMS. The dispatchers and call takers work 12-hour shifts, either from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Emergency dispatch is a stressful job, ranking among the top 10 industries with the highest turnover rates. One in four dispatchers leave within a year. Between 18% to 24% of 911 dispatchers show symptoms of PTSD, higher than the average PTSD rate for police officers, which ranges from 7% to 19%.
In 2024, Colorado passed a law that recognizes 911 dispatchers as first responders, which could entitle them to better pay and benefits. In 2022, the First Responder Fair RETIRE Act improved retirement benefits for first responders injured on the job.
At the federal level, however, emergency dispatchers are considered administrative or clerical workers.
Video: Ziyi Xu, Rocky Mountain PBS
“You’re not just doing one job; you’re multitasking,” said Paige Gumz, who has been a dispatcher for two years after working as an assistant college softball coach.
“We’re listening to everything our caller is telling us, but we’re also taking information from law enforcement, fire, and EMS. We can be talking to anywhere from three to five people at once, all asking us to do something,” Gumz added.
Gumz’s background as an athlete helped her function well under pressure, but she recalled a particularly stressful call involving a deadly shooting at Durango’s Santa Rita Park right after she completed dispatch training.
“The 911 lines just lit up. There’s chaos, and people are running everywhere. It was hard to figure out who did what and get a description in such a chaotic situation, especially because we can’t see anything,” Gumz said. “Physically, your stomach drops when you hear people screaming.”
Each dispatcher undergoes extensive training to prepare for working under pressure. Not everybody makes it.
In 2022, Durango Emergency Communications reported that 99% of candidates weren’t able to complete the training program.
“My crew is incredibly well-trained and skilled,” said Kati Fox, director of the Durango Emergency Communications Center.
“But in that moment, when you only have your voice to impact a situation where someone’s life is at risk, that’s the very definition of helplessness. And one of the key factors in whether someone develops PTSD from a traumatic incident is whether they felt helpless at that moment.”
Even the best-trained dispatchers feel the weight of the job, especially when taking high-stakes calls for 12 hours a day.
“Dispatch stress is cumulative,” Fox continued. “It’s like ‘you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay.’ And then it rises, rises, rises, and you crash. It can be one call that tips you over, or something in your personal life.”
To help with dispatcher mental health, the center offers free therapy sessions, mental health days, incident reviews for high-stakes calls and — most importantly, according to the dispatchers — a supportive work environment.
“I would say the culture here is absolutely amazing. Everybody cares about everybody,” said Hahn, who is in her second year of dispatching.
A wall at the center is decorated with thank you notes from dispatchers and management teams.
One note from Gumz reads: "Thank you for your spirit and your whimsical vocabulary! Appreciate all you do!"
One note from Gumz reads: "Thank you for your spirit and your whimsical vocabulary! Appreciate all you do!"
“We may not get thanked or recognized for what we do, but knowing that what I did may have made a difference or saved someone’s life is enough,” Hahn said.
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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