Coronavirus adds additional responsibilities for emergency dispatchers

Coronavirus adds additional responsibilities for emergency dispatchers

FOX 29's Bill Anderson reports.

PHILADELPHIA - The coronavirus is adding additional responsibilities for emergency dispatchers. They serve the community each and every day by sending first responders to help the public in their greatest time of need. 

"We are the first-first responders. It is our job to get that information, it is our job to make sure what’s going on, and we are getting you that help," Franki Rizq told FOX 29.

The first-first responder sign is one of the first things that you see but not many realize all of the additional responsibility the pandemic has put on the people like Franki Rizq, one of the fire dispatchers for the Philadelphia Fire Department.

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“We just want to send out help for people that need to go to the hospital, send out the right help, but we also want to make sure we’re protecting our guys in the field who are showing up in these locations,” explained Rizq.

They let FOX 29's Bill Anderson into the room with the promise that no caller information would be revealed.

Their decisions always have the potential to be life or death calls, but the coronavirus has added in the possibility of the first responders they send being at risk for contracting the virus and the fear that others now have of helping someone in need.

“It’s really hard when you have people at home who are afraid to help their family members because they themselves will be outside. They don’t want to go in and check on these people and someone’s inside with trouble breathing and you don’t want to touch them or go near them. We’re not sure exactly what they need when we get there.”

While FOX 29 was there, calls were coming in from all around and Rizq admitted that fear and uncertainty are hard for them to deal with because many people call for help and answers but in these certain cases, some of the answers just don’t exist.

“When you have a disease out there that no one knows when it’s going to end and we’re not sure when it’s going to end, you do feel limited. You do worry about everyone out there but more importantly, you just want to get through it and let everyone know that it is going to be ok.”

That reassurance, as well as the comfort of knowing that help will be on the way when you call, comes from these heroes who continue to be there even in the most difficult times – for goodness sake.

We want to hear from you. Tell us about a hero you know using the hashtag #FOX29Heroes or #ForGoodnesSake.

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