Versatile Rhea County 9-1-1 Dispatcher Gets First Responder Award

EVENSVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) — First Responders come in many forms!

There are firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMT’s and paramedics.

But there’s another important member of that group—the 9-1-1 dispatchers.

Remember all that flooding that hit Rhea and Bledsoe county earlier this year? First Responders lost a lot of sleep rescuing people from flooded areas…and blocking flooded roads. But there were others on the job 24 hours a day that you didn’t hear much about.

The Rhea county 9-1-1 dispatchers were fielding calls and sending help…and keeping people calm on the phone. Christopher Whitaker was one of them.

“Back when the flood happened, I think it was April or March of this year you know, just – I’ve never seen it click so well before. Like, between the dispatchers and the firemen and the police and EMS, we all just worked together and we was able to save people and get them out of their homes and just, you know, be there for them when we needed to be,” said Christopher Whitaker, Rhea Co. 9-1-1 Dispatcher.

Chris and the other members of his team at 9-1-1 sometimes help save lives.

“I have a great team of dispatchers behind me as well. If I’m on the phone with a 9-1-1 caller or a CPR in progress, depending on where it’s at, in the county or in the city, you know, I’m giving CPR instructions over the line while they’re getting the EMS and toning out First Responders to respond as well the fire department to assist as well,” said Whitaker.

In the 9 years he’s been at Rhea county 9-1-1, Chris has done a variety of jobs. After all…it’s a small town and you help where you can. His fellow employees know when someone is doing a good job.

“Chris is one of those employees that when you think of an ideal employee that goes above and beyond, that’s him. Extremely humble, so that’s what makes this award even better, considering that he’ll do anything and everything for everybody and never expect anything in return” said Joey Dunn, the Training Coordinator for Rhea Co. 9-1-1.

The name of the game here is quick response and giving the right information on the phone and on the air.

Christopher Whitaker does that. And we are happy to name him our Wettermark-Keith First Responder of the Month.

“At Wettermark-Keith, we are so proud of this month’s First Responder’s winner. But we are also proud of the hundred’s of other first responders, who are out there working every day and every night, to protect us and our families,” said James Wettermark, of Wettermark-Keith.