They rarely get the recognition they so deserve yet they are the first line of response when an emergency or tragedy occurs - they are emergency medical and 911 dispatchers. April 9-15 has been proclaimed as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, an opportunity for the island community to offer a round of applause for these dispatchers.

Emergencies can occur at any time and require the quick deployment of police, fire, or immediate medical services. It's in these moments,where seconds matter, dispatchers exhibit compassion, understanding, and professionalism being the critical link between help and the island community.

Maggie-Jo Baza, who has been an emergency medical dispatcher with the Guam Fire Department for three years says it was through her father, who was a firefighter, that she learned about the position opening up.

"I really wasn't too sure as to how big of a role they played in the fire department until I actually got the job. He was really the one that pushed me. I knew I wanted to help people in that way, but I didn't know all the aspects that came with it," she told KUAM News.

For MarlinaRose Olkeriil, who has been a GFD EMD for almost a decade, she knew she wanted to help people. Previously she had worked with kids as a teacher's assistant, saying, "Being an emergency medical dispatcher with the fire department, it's a bigger audience, I guess you can say, that I'm helping."

With a job in which slow days are a good thing, both, who currently work the swing shift, say it's difficult to describe a typical shift as an EMD but these unsung heroes- the public safety telecommunicators of GFD and the Guam Police Department have contributed substantially to the successful apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires, and treatment of patients.

"We have those days where we walk in and you have all the medics out on sick runs, structure and grass fires, rescue services happening, or lost hikers, so I wouldn't say it's something typical," said Baza.

Just like with any profession, being an EMD does have its challenges. For Baza, it's taking those certain calls that remind her of a personal tragedy that occurred in 2021 - a loved one taking their life. "I still have to remember I have a job to do. You still have to get control of the situation, you still have to take control of the call," she recalled.

"In the end, I have to take a little bit of a breath, because it just brings back those types of memories."

And Olkeriil added, "You have to be able to set aside your emotions when you get that call because you're that calm, you are that calm voice when they're panicking. You want to be able to get our units there as quickly as they can. Being a medical dispatcher is not just for anybody."

Oh yes, there are rewarding moments as an EMD.

"Knowing at the end of a call, it was a happy ending for somebody because not every call ends that way," she said.

And as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week comes to a close, she noted, "Our team medical dispatchers with the fire department, it's a great team, we love what we're doing, and I think everybody would do it ten times over even if we get those sad ending calls vs. the happy ending calls but overall our goal is to help and assist people."