Sheriff's Office celebrates dispatchers

SENECA COUNTY --- National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, also known as Dispatchers' Week, is celebrated the second week of April every year. The week honors dispatchers in public safety. Seneca County Sheriff Fred Stevens shared his appreciation for the department's dispatchers with the A-T and on social media. Each day of the week, he highlighted each of the department's seven dispatchers with a social media post and graphic about them. Dispatcher Amy Skeel Skeel has served Seneca County Sheriff's Department for the past 25 years. She wants people to know that being a dispatcher is "not always easy and comes with challenges." Through her 25 years of service, Skeel has found that the most rewarding part of her job is knowing that she has made a difference in someone's life. Her favorite aspect of being a dispatcher is the people she works with every day. She is not only a dispatcher but is also a married mother of three who enjoys spending time with family and friends and going camping. As for her favorite things, Skeel listed "Dunkin' Donuts iced lattes, anything maple and anything vanilla scented." Dispatcher Karen Aichholz Aichholz has been a dispatcher at the department for 14.5 years. "We ask questions to get the best help available for the call at hand, even including questions that the caller doesn't think are necessary," she said of her job. She finds "helping people and helping people when they are having a good day" and "knowing (she is) helping friends and family on call" to be the most rewarding aspects of being a dispatcher. Aichholz said her favorite part of the job is that each day is different and no two days are the same. This year she will celebrate 40 years of marriage with her husband, which brought a son and a daughter into the world. Aichholz also has a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. In her free time, she spends time with her family and dog, Brewster. Aichholz also enjoys attending her grandchildren's events and simply spending time with them. Some of her favorite things are her Camaro, the color blue, Nascar and seeing her grandchildren. Dispatcher Stacey Saylors Saylors has worked at the Sheriff's Office for 10 years. "Dispatchers are truly the voice in the dark," she said. "They don't get to see our faces, just hear our voices on the phone." Over the past 10 years, the most rewarding part of her job is "knowing (she) is here for everyone in Seneca County when they need (her)." "Everyone in the office is my family," she said. "They have my back and I have theirs." Saylors' is the mother of three children and has two bonus sons from her partner. She also has three grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, cooking and baking. Saylors' favorite things are the colors pink and purple, spending time at the lake and time in the pool with her grandchildren. Dispatcher Jane Houdeshell Houdeshell has been a dispatcher at the department for the past two years. While the job can be very stressful, she and her coworkers are a family and have each other's backs, she said. The most rewarding aspect of Houdeshell's job is "helping the citizens of Seneca County." Like Aichholz, she said her favorite part of the job is that every day is different. "You never know what kinds of calls you will get during your shift," Houdeshell explained. She has two siblings and a son, and spends her free time watching sports, socializing with friends and traveling. Houdeshell's favorite things are Ohio State football, the Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Guardians. Dispatcher Alyssa Kuhn Kuhn has been a dispatcher for two years. "It is definitely not an easy job," she said. "Especially to hear all the pain that different people go through every day." Despite the tough parts of the job, Kuhn finds "being able to send help to the right place" and "hearing how grateful people are" are the most rewarding aspects of being a dispatcher. "Being able to work without shoes on and being comfortable" are her favorite parts of the job. Kuhn is currently engaged and owns a 5-year-old husky with her partner. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her partner by "shed hunting and watching movies together" and spending time with her nephews. Kuhn's favorite things are the color light blue, country music and her Cricut. Dispatcher Morgan DeMonte DeMonte has been with the Sheriff's Office for nearly five years. "The questions I ask are important for you to answer for safety and proper response," she wished to share with the public. In her almost five years as a dispatcher, DeMonte feels that "knowing that people call (her) when they don't know who else to call or when they need help" and she can "intervene to help them." Like Houdeshell and Aichholz, she enjoys that "every day is different" and that "nothing is routine" as a dispatcher. DeMonte is the mother of four children. She also has three dogs and a cat. She describes her family as "energetic and busy". She said she uses her free time to "fold laundry, apparently" and "read". Her favorite things are the color blue, the Dallas Cowboys, the TV show Friends, Harry Potter, sleeping and coffee. Dispatcher Amy Turner Turner has been a dispatcher at the Seneca County Sheriff's Office for four months. "It's (being a dispatcher) not easy," she said. "There is a lot of multitasking. It isn't just answering the phone all day long." In her four months of dispatching, Turner finds "being able to help others, even if it is just getting the right help to them" rewarding. In a similar trend among dispatchers at the Sheriff's Office, she also said the people she works with are the best part of the job. Turner is engaged and has a puppy. She enjoys napping in her spare time. Her favorite things are the color pink, the TV show The Office, the Cincinnati Bengals and Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee. Stevens talks dispatchers "Dispatchers are the heart and soul of any law enforcement agency," Stevens told the A-T. "They are the first, first responders as they answer the initial calls for help. They are an extremely valuable resource to our community in both times of critical need (911 calls), but also in just the regular general phone calls for information." The women who make up the office's dispatch team are "caring, professional and take what they do to heart," he said. The job is not for everyone and dispatchers must multitask and prioritize during their shifts. "It is exhausting work, most shifts, mentally and physically and yet if you ask each one of them, they will tell you it is rewarding to be able to serve this great county in that role," Stevens continued. "Not only do they answer general calls and 911 calls, but they dispatch deputies, village police departments, firefighters and EMS units. It is a chaotic environment sometimes but controlled efficiently by these behind-the-scenes heroes." He made it a priority to ensure that the dispatchers had "the latest technology and equipment," which allows them to do their jobs more efficiently. The improvements help the dispatchers and Seneca County residents. "This National Week highlights them to the general public, but we appreciate them all year long."