COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dispatchers at the Emergency Communication Center in Columbus take an average of 1.2 million calls every year.
“This line of work is extremely challenging we call them the ‘first, first responders,’" said Commander Robert Meader of the Communications Bureau.
Last Saturday night alone there were dozens of calls.
“From highly stressed, mostly very young people and we had significant injuries," he said.
Those calls were from the deadly shooting at Bicentennial Park, killing a 16-year-old and injuring five other teens.
The increase in gun violence, especially involving kids and teens, weighs heavy.
“We think about who's calling in it's going to be the mom, it's going to be the dad, it's going to be a very close relative so you can literally feel that pain through the phone," said Commander Meader.
To help 911 dispatchers and all first responders heal from emotional distress Mick Yinger, a retired Columbus police officer, took matters into his own hands.
"Those runs, they build up and they build-up," said Yinger.
With help from a friend, he co-founded the nonprofit First Responders’ Bridge that provides free weekend retreats. It started following the 2018 deaths of Westerville police officers Eric Joering and Anthony Morelli
"We just saw all the hurt that was taking place not just with our first responders and their families but with the community,” he said.
And it's the community's pain that dispatchers are the first to absorb while answering the call for help.