Why I Became A Dispatcher

By Special Guest Author

Peytan Kocha

Corporal, Henderson County Sheriff's Office

During my childhood as I grew up, I was pretty much surrounded by the sounds of the fire service. My father has been involved in fire service since he was a teenager. He has been a volunteer firefighter for 35 years and has been doing it as a career for the past 23 years. I also have an older brother who followed in my father’s footsteps. Both of them claimed to have the best job in the world, so it greatly exposed me to the world of emergency services.

I was fortunate at a very young age to have the opportunity to go on calls with them. The more calls I went on, the greater the adrenaline rush grew. I experienced first-hand what first-responders do, and when I didn’t get to go with them, I was nosy and listened to the radio at home while they were on a call. As I watched my father and brother, I not only witnessed what the fire service was and did, but I also saw that it wasn’t just something my family did; it became a part of who I am. I watched them dedicate themselves and their time to protecting our community. It had a major impact on me, and overtime, I feel like it greatly inspired me with a desire to serve others.

Over the years, I watched my family miss family events or holidays because of their dedicated service to their community. It was a selfless commitment that reflected the true meaning of having a servant’s heart when choosing emergency services as a career field. I realized how having a servant’s heart was rare in this world, but it inspired me to want to do my part. While I may not suit up in a firefighter’s gear or drive a fire engine, I was bitten by the bug to be a servant to the cause. This led me to discovering the thought of becoming a dispatcher. This would allow me to be a part of that mission to help or assist people during their worst moment or a time in need. This is the goal all first-responders have, to help others even when it’s not easy. It solidifies the true meaning of a servant and how we show up for our community.

My childhood has influenced my work ethic in many, many ways. It taught me responsibility and maturity at a much younger age than most of the kids I grew up with. Growing up primarily around the fire service has given me the vision of how to remain calm in stressful situations. I learned the importance of staying composed and how to realize that every second counts and matters in the event of an emergency. My dad always said that communication is the key to success. With that instilled in me at such an early age, I realized just how important good communication skills are because they can make a huge difference in an emergency situation. You must have good communication skills because communication is essential to delivering important, accurate information, and it makes a significant difference for others receiving this information on the other side of the radio conversation.

Along with being heavily involved in the fire service, my father and brother also have experience being reserve dispatchers. They both worked part-time at our local Sheriff’s Office managing the fire and EMS radio channels. One night when my brother was working as a dispatcher, I did a sit-along with one of his co-workers. This is when I had my first experience listening to the law enforcement side of the radio. It increased my desire to genuinely help people and make an impact on their lives. Listening to 10-codes and learning them made me more interested in law enforcement. I found my calling in life and further learned the critical role dispatchers play. I was the first first-responder as a dispatcher. I was the first voice people heard during an emergency or in their time of need.

I applied to be a dispatcher right out of high school. I was hired at 18 because the agency reduced its previous age requirement of 21-years-old. I started my career in November 2019. I have sharpened my skills with training and first-hand experiences shared by my mentors as I have progressed in my career as a dispatcher. Their mentoring and coaching gave me valuable experience and helped me promote to Corporal on my shift. I also credit my family in lessons I have learned, which guide me in delivering successful service in my dispatching career.

In closing, I am very proud of the environment in which I was raised. I am beyond grateful for the example my father and brother set for me. The opportunity to serve others is a calling and I have a great passion to answer that calling. As this continues as a tradition in our family to have the heart of a servant, so does the dedication and importance of our service. My father and brother make a difference as firefighters, and I have the opportunity to do the same as a dispatcher. It motivates me to do my part to make a difference. While some calls are tougher than others to deal with, I still feel like I am where I am supposed to be. Serving as a dispatcher is not just a career goal for me; it is a way for me to continue the legacy of helping others like my family has done for my entire life.

About the Author:

Peytan Kocha is a Corporal in the Emergency Communications Center at the Henderson County Sheriff's Office (NC), proudly serving at the agency in the hometown where she was born and raised. She comes from a family of first-responders and was hired as a public-safety dispatcher upon graduating high school. Kocha is passionate about continuing education and training for her own professional growth and has goals to promote to higher leadership roles at her agency in the future. Outside of work, she enjoys being physically active and spending quality time with family and loves ones, especially her husband, Stuart, to create lasting memories.

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