National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week: Dispatchers Manage the Mission from the Ground

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is celebrated annually during the second full week of April.

Behind every Mercy Flight mission is an air communications specialist (ACS), or dispatcher, coordinating the whole operation — someone fielding phone calls from emergency services or other medical facilities, monitoring the status of our vehicles, relaying vital patient information to the crew, and so much more.

Jessica Graham is an ACS at Benefis Health System providing around-the-clock dispatch services for flight and ground transport missions. During their 12-hour shifts, Jessica and the other dispatchers answer calls about emergency transportation or patient transfers. And those calls are often the first step in a complicated, but organized, process of getting the patient where they need to be.

Often, that process includes coordinating the launch of a Mercy Flight aircraft while gathering as much medical information as possible about the patient or patients for the responding crew. In extreme cases, it could mean pushing back a scheduled transport so Mercy Flight can respond to a complex emergency incident.

“We have to determine who needs help the fastest,” Jessica says. “Whose need is most emergent?”

The dispatchers reach the crews via radio or push-to-talk satellite link. They follow the aircraft’s flight path via satellite-transmitted GPS and ensure all FAA standards are met before and during the mission. The Mercy Flight Communications team serves as the crew’s eyes on the ground. The air communications specialists are a safety net for the Mercy Flight crew, making sure they make it to and from their destination safely.

It’s a lot of multitasking and a lot of pressure.

Jessica is a former 911 dispatcher who found her knack for emergency and incident communications in the U.S. Navy. It’s an important, rewarding job, but it can take its toll — mentally and emotionally.

“You have to work to balance that,” Jessica says. “You have to prioritize self-care during your off time, and that can be difficult, too.”

But at the end of the day, dispatchers are dedicated to ensuring patients get the care they need and the crews are safe while getting to them.

“I may never see the people we help in person, but I am invested in their care,” Jessica says. “They’re our patients, too.”