Dispatchers: Helping voices in 911 calls
Mike Babcock has dispatched for 29 years.
By Gerald Hay
When a call for help comes into Johnson County’s Emergency Communications Center, Mike Babcock is the voice of calm amidst the chaos.
He is the ECC’s most tenured 911 dispatcher who celebrates his 29th year of public service in January.
Babcock’s not alone. There are 29 full-time dispatchers and one who works part-time from the county’s Department of Emergency Services, which operates Johnson County’s hub for 911 calls and emergency communications. Completed in 2009, the facility is at 118th Street and Ridgeview Road in Olathe.
Dispatchers are the first voice callers hear when reporting an emergency.
They are trained and instructed to ask key questions to handle a wide variety of stressful calls and handle almost any emergency. Their job is gathering critical information and dispatching police, fire and medical help to protect lives and property.
Babcock warns that serious medical emergencies are time sensitive. Residents needing help or callers should not contact a family member or friend first for assistance or advice. This can delay getting the help that’s needed quickly.
“Always call 911 FIRST in emergencies where you need police, fire or medical help,” he said. “It’s OK to call 911.”
The ECC also includes the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division with 35 deputies, including Master Deputy Eric Boettcher. He is the longest-serving dispatcher in the division, spanning 19 years in his 24-year career with the Sheriff’s Office.
“The main information we need from a person calling 911 is the location – “Where is the emergency?” The location can be an exact address or intersection. The more detailed the better, for example: west side of the road, or is it inside or outside,” Boettcher said, emphasizing that every second counts in an emergency.
More than 440,000 total calls
The ECC has dispatchers/deputies providing 911 services 24/7.
The Sheriff’s Office Communications Division provides law enforcement dispatches in unincorporated Johnson County and 13 law enforcement agencies, including nine police departments and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. From January 2024 to October 2025, the division received more than 440,000 total calls, including over 139,500 911 calls.
Five area police departments also have dispatch centers and answer 911 calls in their communities for law enforcement services.
“None of them handle EMS (emergency medical service) calls or fire calls. As soon as a 911 caller indicates they have a fire or medical emergency, they immediately transfer the call to us,” said Kate Neal-Dorsey, the ECC’s Communications Operation Manager.
The “us” are 29 full-time and one part-time Emergency Services dispatchers. They serve five city fire departments, three fire districts and 19 Johnson County MED-ACT ambulances at 24-hour stations in eight cities.
“During that time (January 2024 to October 2025), we’ve taken close to 100,000 calls where medical help was needed – a little over 67,000 of those calls involved a patient 60 years of age or older,” Neal-Dorsey said, adding there were 29,740 dispatches for fire services.
The top 5 EMS-related requests (in order):
- (General) sick/ill subject
- Falls
- Difficulty breathing
- Unconscious-fainting
- Chest pain
A 911 dispatcher’s job is far more than simply answering the phone. They handle incoming 911 calls as masters in multitasking.
As he works, Babcock calmly responds to victims calling for help, carefully gathering and recording their information. At the same time, the dispatcher has a direct line of communication with Johnson County MED-ACT and fire crews responding to the scene.
His voice is a steady monotone to cut through any panic for those calling to request help. “I try to get them to calm down and listen to me,” he explained.
Boettcher agreed. “I get to be the first contact on someone’s worst day, and I get to try to help them through it. Sometimes it leads to a happy ending and other times not so much,” he added.
What 911 dispatchers need to know
Remember 911 should be used for emergencies only, but do not be afraid to dial 911 because of uncertainty. Provide:
- Your address
- Reason for your call: Medical situation/concern, falling, fire, accident, prowler, etc.
- Your name
Make sure the dispatcher answering the call knows location of the emergency, especially if a cellphone is being used, and the phone number in case the call is disconnected.
Listen and answer all questions as accurately as possible regarding the emergency to assist the dispatcher and follow any instructions carefully.
Keeping your medical history, doctor’s phone number(s) and emergency contact list taped to the refrigerator in an envelope marked “EMERGENCY INFORMATION.” Johnson County MED-ACT’s File of Life program provides a handy way to provide this important formation. Details are available by calling 913-715-1950 or visiting jocoems.org.
Remain as calm as possible, don’t lose patience or tell the dispatcher to hurry. They already know that.
Do not hang up until the dispatcher says it is OK to do so. To help save critical time after contacting 911, put pets in another room, turn on lights if the call is made at night, unlock and open the front door, clear a path to the patient (both inside and outside).
If 911 call is called by mistake, do not hang up; stay on the line and tell the dispatcher everything is all right. If you don’t, the dispatcher may assume that an emergency has occurred and send a response team to your location.
Trained for many emergencies
Rick Gisolf is deputy director and Chris Shelton is the training manager at the Communications Center.
Dispatchers are trained to respond to a wide assortment of emergencies. They ask specific questions to understand exactly what kind of help is needed to determine the urgency of the situation, send the right resources and ensure law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel have the information they need.
They will also provide either universal/general instructions or situation-specific lifesaving step-by-step instructions to help manage the emergency before first responders arrive on scene.
“There is a method to our madness,” Babcock said in gathering basic facts regarding the nature of the emergency call and vital information about the patient.
Medical alarm companies, providing and monitoring personal alert buttons, have a direct line to the ECC when a device activation is received. Details on the name, address and reason for the alert are shared.
Dispatchers will also ask for the caller’s phone number in case the call is disconnected. Wireless 911 calls, mostly from cellphones, usually do not provide an exact location where emergency services are needed, depending on the nearest cell-phone tower transmitting the call.
“Since Jan. 1, 2024, the percentage of wireless calls has held strong at around 77%,” Neal-Dorsey said.
Dispatchers generally provide the same scripted guidance. Training CPR; choking first aid; bleeding control; stabilizing injuries for someone after a fall; even childbirth.
Their instructions can include initial treatment of accident victims, evacuating from a house fire or safely fleeing from a sinking vehicle in floodwater.
“It goes to everyone whether it’s helping someone 2-years-old or 72,” Babcock said.
The life of a 911 dispatcher is defined by high-stress, round-the-clock shifts and coordinating emergency calls with first responders while trying to maintain calm in chaotic situations. While the job is emotionally demanding, it is also rewarding, with many, perhaps most, dispatchers finding significance in making a difference and saving lives.
“Being a dispatcher is not easy. It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s not for everyone,” Babcock said. “I could not do this job without having a great team to work along beside me. This is a team effort. It takes a village.”
Boettcher says his “village” includes great leadership, teamwork when things get difficult and in time of need, and even some fun.
“When I originally came to communications, I had only planned on staying here for 2-3 years before moving on to another division. Once here, I realized how good of a gig it was,” he said. “As an added bonus, I don’t have to work in the elements, write reports or go to court very often.”
Not all 911 calls have successful outcomes, but Babcock fondly recalled helping to deliver a baby during a 911 call.
“I heard the baby cry. It was a relief to know the baby had a good airway,” he said.
Some unusual 911 calls
Over the years, some 911 calls were quirky, funny or just plain weird.
According to Lt. David Ross, the Sheriff’s Communications Division once received a call reporting a loose kangaroo running around in Olathe.
“It was a legitimate call, and the animal was able to be captured without incident,” he added. The division also had a few calls reporting Starlink satellites as UFOs.
Babcock remembers ECC 911 calls requesting help to free a horse mired in mud, ducklings stuck in a storm drain and looking for a squirrel in an attic.
For the most part, dispatchers generally do not know the outcome of 911 calls as their primary role is to dispatch help and gather immediate information, not the long-term resolution of every incident.
They often do not know the outcome of a patient’s condition once they are transported to a hospital due to privacy laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.
“A lot of times, you have to hope that your instructions made the difference,” Babcock said.
He has only met the people behind two past emergency calls he handled. They included the parents and their newborn daughter he helped to deliver; the other was a man he helped who suffered a heart attack. All wanted to meet the man behind the voice that helped them.
“When people stop and say thanks, the world stops for a moment, and you feel why you do this job,” Babcock said. “I like helping people.”
ECC serves as hub for 911 calls
Completed in 2009, the Emergency Communications Center at 118th and Sunset Dr. in Olathe is operated by Johnson County’s Department of Emergency Services and Sheriff’s Office Communications Division.
The Sheriff’s Office is one of six initial points of contact for 911 calls in Johnson County. There are 35 deputies trained in communications.
The division dispatches public safety services in unincorporated Johnson County and 13 law enforcement agencies. These include nine police departments (Gardner, Spring Hill, Lake Quivira, Merriam, Mission, Roeland Park, Fairway, Westwood and Olathe), Johnson County Park Police and the Sheriff’s Office which also provides law enforcement services in De Soto and Edgerton. The division also serves the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks as well as Olathe School District Police.
From January 2024 to October 2025, the Sheriff’s Office Communications Division received 440,416 total calls, including 139,528 911 calls, 300,888 non-emergency calls and 179,171 calls for service.
The top five law enforcement-related requests (in order):
- Non-life-threatening medical call
- Motorist assist
- Non-Injury accident
- Traffic complaint
- Welfare check
Police departments in Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, Prairie Village (Mission Hills) and Leawood are the other five initial points of contact for 911 calls in Johnson County, and have their own dispatch centers.
All fire and medical calls in Johnson County are transferred from these police dispatch centers to the Department of Emergency Services communications division with 29 full-time and one part-time dispatchers.
They provide dispatching services to five city fire departments (Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park and Shawnee), three fire districts (Northwest Consolidated Fire District, Consolidated Fire District 2 and Fire District 1). Additionally, the ECC dispatches for Johnson County MED-ACT and Miami County EMS.
From January 2024 to October 2025, almost 100,000 calls resulted in dispatches where emergency medical services were needed and 29,740 dispatches for fire services.
The top five fire-related requests (in order):
- Automatic alarms
- Investigations
- Lift assists
- Injury accidents
- Assist the public