VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. — Two Van Buren County dispatchers are being honored for their heroic actions on the job.
Alison Dean has worked with the agency for two years, and her dad was also a dispatcher.
“It's not a job you can do without the heart. You have to have a commitment to serving the civilians and serving all the first responders and everybody,” said Dean.
Her commitment was tested recently when she received a call that a man with disabilities was stuck in his home that was on fire.
“I recognized I need to get this guy’s help. I'm thinking, okay, you're stuck in your bed. The fire is in your bed. You can't get out. What can we do? So, I'm thinking, can we throw the comforters over, and try and smother it a little bit? Can we shift away from it? Through that whole thing, I'm just keeping a calm voice and comforting him,” said Dean.
Her coworker, Brooke Smith, has been working with the agency for three years.
She too recently had to help save someone’s life who happened to work with her.
“My partner just started coughing, and I didn't think anything of it. Well, then she stands up and looks at me, and her face is bright red, and she looks like she's in a straight panic,” said Smith.
She quickly realized her partner was choking. She called for help and while waiting, she did the Heimlich Maneuver on her
“I was just reassuring her that we had help on the way, just like what we would do with anyone else. And then I just tried to do the Heimlich the best I could, and she was able to start getting more air in,” said Smith.
Both people made it out alive in those situations.
And once those calls were done, it’s on to the next one.
“I think that it's just not a part of a job that's always recognized. I think a lot of people are like, oh, and then, what did you do? Did you get to one? Walk away, take a break? And it's not, it's we're on and we're ready to go to the next one,” said Dean.
Dean was given the Commendation/ Lifesaving Award and Smith was given the Lifesaving Award. She also received the Stork Award for helping with the delivery of a baby.
These two both encourage people who have a passion for helping others to consider becoming a dispatcher.