FIREFIGHTER'S WORDS -59- DEATH OF A DISPATCHER

On July 26, 2008, Stephanie Hart, a 9-1-1 dispatcher, was murdered. Her husband had shot her. One shot under her left eye with a 40 caliber rifle..

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As I sit at my terminal one quiet Saturday afternoon, the phone rings as it always does. No big surprise.  Little did I know that the phone call would have such a big impact. A female on the other end of the line says “I think my daughter-in-law has been shot.”

So we ask the required questions to get the call started.

What is your name? What's your phone number? What is the address that we need to send officers to? The female says the address and we automatically ask her to repeat. She gives the address again. A familiar address is typed in and units are enroute. One of our own is possibly the cause for this call.

Over the radio we hear “Radio, we're on scene, we have an open door and we're clearing the residence.”

Then we hear “Radio, we have one down” and I respond “10-4 Radio's clear.”

The next thing that we hear is, “Radio, notify coroner.”

At that moment my heart hit my toes. The air is so thick in the radio room I can hardly breath. But even so I get the job done. After all, I'm trained for this stuff, right?  Yes, I am trained to deal with tragic situations, but when you can put a face and a personality with it, all your training goes right out the window. When the victim is faceless and unknown, it is a whole lot easier to get the job done.

An officer calls in and requests a brief description of our friend, our co-worker. It's confirmed. It's our friend, our co-worker. She's gone. No more laughs, no more conversations. No more nothing. Days go by and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. She's really gone. The suspected gunman is caught and is on his way back.

Even with the time that has passed I still feel like a spectator of my own life. I feel as if I am watching myself go thru the daily motions, and am still waiting to wake up from the horrible nightmare.

The funeral is set, flowers ordered, arrangements made. All is final. Is this a dream? No, it's reality. My reality and another day in the life of a 9-1-1 dispatcher.

In loving memory of Stephanie Dianne Haslup Hart, White County Communications Officer. Stephanie was murdered on July 26th at age 21.  She was a 911 dispatcher. I am also a 911 dispatcher. My husband is captain and arson investigator at Toccoa fire department (26 years). Our public safety family was AWESOME during this tragic time and continues to help us through each day. I feel love for every person on this site, even having never met them. Public service is a sacrifice.

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From Stephanie’s Mother:

MY HEART IS VERY SAD. I, AS YOU CAN TELL, AM VERY PROUD OF STEPHANIE AND WANT SO MUCH TO SHARE MY MEMORIES OF HER WITH EVERYONE. I MISS HER SO BAD. HER GRANNY CALLED HER "SUNSHINE". THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE WAS. A RAY OF SUNSHINE. I TRY NOT TO PONDER ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HER DEATH BUT IT'S DIFFICULT  AS A MOM TO GET IT TO GO AWAY. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TIME SHE DIED. NO ONE BUT JOHNNY KNOWS WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH BEFORE SHE WAS SHOT. SHE WAS LOOKING AT HIM WHEN HE SHOT HER AS SHE WAS SHOT IN THE FACE. AT WHAT POINT DID SHE REALIZE THAT SHE WAS IN TROUBLE? DID SHE FIGHT HIM? WHAT ON EARTH MADE HIM PULL THAT TRIGGER AND KILL HER? SINCE JULY 26TH, EVERY NIGHT THAT I LAY DOWN, THESE QUESTIONS GO OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN THROUGH MY MIND. TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF A SENSELESS ACT.

 





Kurt Kamm writes a blog featuring “Firefighter’s Words” which are submitted by firefighters/EMT and rescue personnel. He also writes novels about fires and firefighters. A resident of Malibu, he has lived through several wildland fires. He is a regular visitor at the fire camps, stations and training academies of L.A. County Fire Department and CalFire. To learn more about his novels, One Foot in the Black, and Red Flag Warning, visit http://www.kurtkamm.com.