Who you gonna' call? 911
JOLIET -- Since emergencies can happen to anyone, Denita Draper and Patti Deffenbaugh want to be sure everyone understands what to do in an emergency.
On Thursday, the two emergency dispatchers invited 20 special education students from Joliet Central High School to the city's telecommunications center to give them a better understanding of 911.
(Liz Wilkinson Allen/Staff Photographer)
Adapting a program usually designed for younger children, Draper began by asking the students for their definitions of an emergency and if any of them had ever called 911 before.
"We don't want anyone to play with the phone because it's dangerous. That's why we started doing these classes," she said.
Using fake telephones, Draper practiced several mock calls regarding burglaries and fights.
After dialing 911 and explaining the situation, students were asked their address, where they were in the building and if they were by themselves.
"I want to give (them) a chance to know what to expect if they do have to call 911," Draper said.
Deffenbaugh talked about how different telecommunicators were there to dispatch police and fire departments and showed the computer screens set up at each work station.
Visitors learned each workstation has a strip of lights where an amber light shows a dispatcher is talking on the phone and a red light indicates she's broadcasting on the radio frequency.
"There's also a white light that flashes real fast for situations where we're going to need multiple dispatchers for assistance," Deffenbaugh said.
Students also saw what would come up on a dispatcher's screen if they called 911.
"Even though your address comes up automatically, it's still important to know it in case there's a fire where you have to get out first and call from a neighbor's house," Deffenbaugh said.
"We just want everyone to be safe and know how to use 911," Draper said.
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