Any 911 dispatcher will tell you that the idea of dispatch that TV and film promotes is largely a mirage. What does translate from screen to real life, however, is the fact that dispatchers are America’s unsung, lifesaving heroes. In fact, one of these shows helped inspire the subject of today’s Dispatcher Story to enter public safety.
Jamison “Jamie” Gulick was born and raised in Ithaca, Michigan and has resided in the city of Ithaca his entire life. Also a part-time butcher, Jamie has been a firefighter for Ithaca Fire for nearly three decades.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rescue 911 blasted across America’s TV screens. Jamie was inspired. By 1995, he had taken his EMT course and joined Ithaca’s volunteer fire department.
Though he always found the “other side of the radio” interesting, it wasn’t until 2014 that he took the leap to become a dispatcher. Jamie felt that it was time for a change of scenery and dispatch was a natural transition. He applied for a job with Gratiot County 911 and got it.
Of his time in dispatch over the last eight years, Jamie says, ”I have forgotten so much more than I remember - the good and the bad.” His favorite part of being a dispatcher is fire calls. To this day, his roots with Ithaca fire remain.
What about the calls he’s most proud of? Jamie says that he’s been involved in several cardiac arrest and AED saves, noting that these lives couldn’t be saved without, “assistance from my outstanding rescue coworkers.”
Once a fireman, always a fireman.
Gratiot County 911 recently adopted and launched Prepared Live in their center. Jamie says that the most difficult part, sometimes, is simply remembering that video is available for them to use. Recently, though, Jamie had his first big success using the software.
In Late July, a citizen dialed 911 to report that her “electrical panel” was “smoking and popping.” Acting quickly, Jamie shared a livestream link with the caller and asked for her to initiate video. With “eyes-on-scene”, Jamie was able to see that the issue was the caller's exterior electric meter based on discoloration and the vinyl siding bubbling.
With that information in hand, he sent an Ithaca Fire/Rescue Officer to the scene for a Fire Investigation. Additionally, he was able to dispatch the electric utility company to the scene.
According to Gratiot 911 Director Dan Morden, “The video feed provided an unprecedented level of access to allow for scene size up. PST Gulick, armed with the callers description and the video, was confident in dispatching only the necessary resources to address the problem instead of a full station alarm.”
Morden adds that without the level of insight provided by video, Jamie would not have been able to allocate resources as efficiently. As noted in our piece about Prepared Live and Wellness Checks, media from callers helps to shorten the cycle of verification, investigation, and action - and that rings true here.
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Prepared is thrilled to partner with amazing PSAPs like Gratiot County 911. Dispatchers like Jamie are the everyday heroes that ensure Prepared Live functionality can do good in communities around the country. We salute Jamie and all members of the Thin Gold Line.
Learn more about our partnership with Gratiot 911 from this story on local news channel ABC 12 WJRT.
Assisting Every Call For Service