Portland's Stephen Zipprich is the 2023 Dispatcher of the Year for North America.
Allison Frost / OPB
If you call 911 in the Portland area, there’s a chance that your call will be answered by the 2023 North American dispatcher of the year. Stephen Zipprich was commended by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch for his compassion and professionalism and for keeping callers, patients and responders safe.
“I was looking for a way to feel like I had purpose in what I was doing and something that was more exciting than selling electrical parts,” said Zipprich, who got into the field 10 years ago. “For me, this is meaningful work and it’s something that I enjoy doing and that’s a big deal. … I’ve heard it said that if you enjoy what you do, you don’t work a day in your life. That’s really how I feel.”
The range of calls dispatchers field runs the gamut. “It ranges from basic medical calls [like] somebody experiencing vomiting, and they need an ambulance for that, to somebody’s car just got stolen or their house just got burglarized or their house is on fire,” he said.
Zipprich was nominated for his overall excellence, but part of the contest requires a specific 911 call to be included with the application. His call was from a woman who had taken a potentially lethal amount of medication in an attempt to take her own life. The call was transferred to 911 from 988, the suicide prevention hotline.
“I spoke with the counselor on that line and then she introduced the caller to me and I got some information from her and she expressed some remorse about having attempted to harm herself. And she had been armed with a knife at one point in the call as well. And I was able to get her to put the knife away as well,” said Zipprich.
The 20-minute call was unusually long, but Zipprich needed to stay on with her so that first responders could drive to where she was to help her.
Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Communication has recently implemented new systems to help with call volumes, hold times and quality of service. Zipprich was recognized for his skill in adopting and integrating those as well.
But one of the things he said he finds rewarding is being able to bring himself fully to the job while he’s doing it, using his instincts and communication skills to make real connections with people.
“Trying to maintain a high level of compassion and empathy for their situation and what they’re going through is a big part of it, and making that connection and letting them know that I’m not there to judge them,” he said. “I mean, we are human people, you know, we’re not robots. And we can make that personal connection with the person that’s calling. They’re crying out for help because they’re in this desperate situation.”
The heaviness of the traumas can have an impact on call-takers themselves.
“We’re sitting at desks very close by and so when you’re hearing somebody giving CPR instructions, you might hear that call that they’re doing CPR for a child, and those are really hard,” he says. “We try to look out for each other.”
The city of Portland declared July 12, 2023, to be “Stephen Zipprich Day of Appreciation.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct an editing error. In the 20-minute call Stephen Zipprich used in his application, the woman in crisis called 988, and 988 transferred her to 911.