Aspiring emergency responders get sense of real-life situations

Tim Lambert and Ashley Santiago wait alertly in front of their computer screens.

The phone rings. Santiago answers with the click of a computer mouse.

A voice informs her that there's a suspicious person lurking on a corner in a residential neighborhood. Santiago calmly pumps the caller for more information: "What is he wearing? Is he armed?"

A second later, Santiago is relaying the information to officers in the field, who quickly respond to apprehend the suspect.

In many ways, this episode seemed real. Luckily for the suspect, however, it took place in a classroom instead of on the streets.

Santiago, a 16-year-old sophomore, and Lambert, a 17-year-old senior, are students in the public safety and security program at Reading Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center.

The caller was a classmate in another room, as were the suspect and police officers.

The public safety course trains aspiring police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Recently, the three-year-old course got a new addition when the school bought a $50,000 emergency dispatch simulator.

The system, installed about two weeks ago, lets students to get a sense of what handling a 9-1-1 call is all about.

"It puts them so much more into a real-life situation," said Mark A. Dietrich, the public safety and security instructor. "Having this is definitely going to give them a step up."

The simulator, which replaces a set of hand-held radios, features several computers, headsets and a computer program that mirrors what professionals use. The students can track police, fire and EMS units, assign calls and transfer information to responders.

"It's a lot to get to know," said Lambert, a Muhlenberg resident who hopes to be a professional firefighter.

Dietrich said the dispatcher side of emergency services is important for students to know, even if they don't plan to pursue it as a career.

But the Reading Muhlenberg center is working on creating an accreditation program, which would permit graduates to move right into the field as dispatchers.

"We have police, we have fire, we have EMS, and the dispatcher handles all of that," Dietrich said. "They're a vital cog in everything moving smoothly."

Dietrich said the school is working with Berks County's emergency dispatch center to make sure what's being taught in the classroom matches what students need in the real world.

Lambert believes that using the simulator will help him understand the difficulties dispatchers face.

"It's good to know what they're going through," he said. "It helps keep you from getting impatient or frustrated when you're out on a call."

Santiago said she had no idea just how hectic a 9-1-1 call center could get.

"It's hard when you have one call and then another call comes in," said Santiago, a Muhlenberg resident who wants to be a police officer. "It's hard to stay calm, not to panic."

Dietrich said the simulator can handle up to 15 calls at one time, and the calls include sound effects such as sirens, crying babies and gunshots. That helps students learn how to prioritize and keep cool under pressure.

Everything that happens during a call is recorded, and Dietrich can print out reports and play back audio to help students pinpoint areas where they can do better.

"We have handcuffs to simulate handcuffing and a firetruck to simulate responding to a fire," he said. "But this is probably the most valuable tool we have."

Contact David Mekeel: 610-371-5014 or dmekeel@readingeagle.com.