Tribute to Brown County first responders

This story is part eight of the “Tribute to Brown County first responders” series by Wade Linville (editor of The News Democrat, The Ripley Bee, and The Brown County Press).

“My main goal is to get people help as quick as I can,” said Brown County 9-1-1 dispatcher Kelly Piatt.

Piatt started her career as a 9-1-1 dispatcher around three years ago, a job in which she has excelled. She has worked at the Adams County Communication Center in the past, and currently works as a dispatcher at the Brown County Communication Center in Georgetown.

Since her younger years, Piatt always had a desire to become a first responder. It was actually a movie she watched that sparked her interest in becoming involved in emergency first response.

“I remember watching a movie when I was younger, and I cannot remember the name of this movie, but I remember thinking to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, look at them go, look at how important they are, and look at how much they’re needed,’” said Piatt. “It’s something I’ve thought about over time, and I just did it.”

It was when Piatt, who currently resides in Russellville, saw a job opening at the communication center posted by her friend, Lauren Orick, who worked at the Brown County Communication Center, and she decided to apply.

“She posted the job opening that they were hiring and I kind of just went for it,” Piatt said of her decision to apply for the opening as a 9-1-1 dispatcher.

After she was hired, Orick became her trainer. It didn’t take Piatt long to fall in love with her new career, the chance to answer the calls for help in Brown County and provide assistance for those in need.

As she approaches her third year as a first responder, she said it’s been an experience like no other.

“It’s been amazing, getting the opportunity to help the community,” Piatt said of her time as a 9-1-1 dispatcher.

Earlier this year, Piatt received special recognition for her role in the arrest of Jordan Jeffery, a 32-year-old man of Mansfield who is being held in Brown County Jail on charges of abduction and kidnapping. Jeffery allegedly groomed a minor of Brown County then traveled to Brown County to meet the child with plans of leaving the area with the young girl. He was arrested on the morning of March 26 thanks to the help of Piatt at the communication center.

“He had been talking to this child over the internet and grooming her. He came down to see her, and she had left her home. Right away, her family called and my team and I were doing everything that we could to help the officers on scene. They had a name, because he had bought a train ticket. While my partners were working on calling every resource they could, I was busy looking him up, and I located a name in the LEADS (Law Enforcement Automated Data System) and it provided me with his social and I was able to tell the officers, ‘Hey, I think I found him,’ and it was him,” Piatt explained her role in tracking down Jeffery. “It was really wonderful…it made me cry.”

Whether it’s getting help to a sick person or helping to save a child who has been abducted, Piatt just enjoys being in a position to provide assistance in emergency situations.

“It’s part of the job, you be your best self,” said Piatt. “You do whatever you can. I have to get them help as fast as I can.”

“Our main goal is to get them dispatched within 60 seconds,” Piatt explained.

No matter the call or who has made it, Piatt shows compassion in all situations.

Many calls she receives are accidental drug overdoses. Drug overdose cases hit close to home for Piatt, and one time it was her father in need of help during an accidental drug overdose.

“They asked his name, and it was my father. It was an overdose, but he is doing amazing now,” said Piatt. “I have compassion for all of my callers, and now I have a better understanding of what they are going through when it’s a family member or good friend of theirs. Everybody’s emergency is important.”

Piatt said she doesn’t often get the chance to meet the firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, or law enforcement agents who she dispatches to emergencies; but she said their selfless acts inspire her to be the best dispatcher she can be.

Also serving as strong inspiration for Piatt has been her late mother, Deborah Piatt, who passed away in 2017.

“I know she’s always been proud of me, and I strive to make her proud,” Kelly Piatt said of her mother.

Piatt is grateful to be part of the team at the Brown County Communication Center, and looks forward to a long career in first response.

“We are more than just co-workers, we are a team, and it’s been great working alongside each and every one of them,” said Piatt.

Some of those Piatt has enjoyed working with at the Brown County Communication Center include: current director Barb Davis, Lauren Orick, Brian Klein (dispatcher), and Terri Musser (former supervisor). The communications team will work long shifts together, so they get the chance to know each other pretty well.

“We eat together, we talk together, we laugh together, and sometimes we cry together,” said Piatt. “Everybody here has had an impact on my career and what I’ve learned.”

Working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher is fast-paced, very stressful, but also very rewarding. Getting the chance to assist others in what may be the most difficult times in their lives is certainly a great feeling when the outcome is positive, but working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher isn’t for everyone. You have to be mentally tough, and ready to respond rapidly to a variety of emergency situations. You truly never know what to expect when an emergency call comes in, but you must be a proficient problem solver with excellent communication skills. It takes a remarkable person to become a successful first responder, a person like Piatt. It’s a career that can take its toll on a person’s mental health.

“There are good days and there are bad days. There are really tough calls that we have to get through and help people in their worst times, so it does make you feel good when there’s a good outcome,” said Piatt. “My experience has definitely made me a better person.”