Being a 911 telecommunicator — otherwise known as a dispatcher — can be a thankless first responder position.

Without them, we’d be lost, but not everyone notices how they work to serve the community every single day.

After working at Vicksburg Warren 911 for almost eight years, Jessica Janotta was recently promoted from a lead telecommunicator to one of four shift supervisors. She is also a certified training officer, which means she assists with training new employees.

“She knows the ins and outs of what needs to be done, and she’s confident in what she’s doing,” director Chuck Tate said.

As a telecommunicator, Janotta takes calls and dispatches help.

“My main priority is to help the person who’s calling in needing help, getting help to them, and making sure my officers get home safe to their families at night,” Janotta said.

She said Vicksburg Warren 911 is one of two agencies in Mississippi that do both call taking and dispatch. Her favorite duty is taking calls, and she thinks it would be rewarding to one day get through an entire childbirth over the phone.

Janotta is in charge of delta shift, a 12-hour-night shift from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. that is two days on and three days off, which she prefers.

“It works out better for my family, my home life and I’m just a night owl,” Janotta said. “I don’t sleep good at night ever.”

Janotta became a telecommunicator after she went to a job fair and saw a booth for Vicksburg Warren 911. Once she filled out an application she went through an extensive selection process where she had to take tests and was interviewed three separate times.

“It’s a process to get hired on here, but it’s a really good job,” Janotta said.

All the telecommunicators go through monthly, required continuing education. She said there is always something new to learn when it comes to technology. The new ProQA protocol system that was recently put in place, which means working from a computer screen, rater than a physical set of written cards, has things working smoother and easier in her opinion.

“I think it’s going to be great. I like it,” Janotta said. “My callers seem to be more cooperative.”

One misconception the telecommunicators face, she said, is sometimes when people call 911 they think they are talking to officers or paramedics directly, which can make the caller nervous that help is not coming fast enough because they are being asked so many questions on the phone.

“They don’t want to answer my questions because they think that I’m stalling from coming to help them,” Janotta said. “I have to explain to them repeatedly that I’m not on the ambulance. I’m not the one that’s coming to you. They’re not delayed in anyway. We’ve already dispatched them, but I need to ask these questions so they can bring the proper equipment and the proper personnel.”

The call center receives a lot of hang up calls from children who are playing with old cell phones the parents have given their children to use as a toy. She said as long as a cell phone has a battery, it has the ability to call 911.

“Their parents just don’t know that they are calling 911 repeatedly, over and over and over again, tying up emergency lines,” Janotta said.

People also need to understand that it is vital to call 911 directly if they are in danger instead of calling a relative.

That way 911 can get the most accurate information as soon as possible instead of relying on secondhand information.

“If you can, don’t call your mom, call us and we’ll call your mom for you,” Janotta said.