August 3, 2019, started out as a normal day for the public safety telecommunicators at El Paso Fire Department 911 Communications Division. This quickly changed as the influx of calls started pouring in about a male subject who entered a local Walmart with an assault-style rifle and opened fire, ultimately killing 22 people and injuring 24 others.

The telecommunicators on duty this day worked together tirelessly and diligently to process all of the incoming calls.  Call takers interrogated callers and analyzed incoming information to help determine the locations of injured shoppers as well as providing lifesaving pre-arrival instructions for those people still on the line. Law enforcement, fire and medical dispatchers worked in tandem to safely get medical attention to the critically injured.

Call takers and dispatchers showed remarkable teamwork scrutinizing the chaos being described by callers to provide an accurate and rapid suspect description and location which lead to the assailant being subdued avoiding further incident. These same call takers and dispatchers continued to handle other critical incidents throughout the city, which immediately created a backlog citywide for the El Paso Police Department.

Telecommunicators to the rescue because that’s what we do! Within minutes of the local news alert, all off duty employees assigned to the division began to show up or call to offer help and relief to those in the communications center. The entire division maintained their professionalism while living through an incident that hit home as one of the worst tragedies to ever affect their city.

Due to the professionalism and efficiency demonstrated by the emergency communications team, first responders on scene were provided with accurate information allowing them to provide the very best emergency services to the citizens of El Paso who were experiencing their worst nightmares. “Our 9-1-1 dispatch team proved to be the calm voice in one of the city’s darkest nights and were truly the golden glue that held it all together.”

APCO International applauds the work of the El Paso Fire Department 911 Communications Division and is proud to recognize them as “Teammates in Action” for their life-saving work during this incident.