A dispatch center is the lifeline for all emergency personnel, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
Steve Robinson always had the backs of the men and women working in the streets in emergency situations, cops, deputies, troopers, EMT’s firefighters and highway workers, for the past 30 years as a dispatcher.
Beginning in 1990 with the City of Batavia Police Department, molding the communications for the City at 10 West Main street with the help of Frank Riccobono and Darryle Streeter. Previously, he worked with the County and the Auxiliary Police, as a Special Deputy for the Sheriff’s Office, then with the Village of Corfu Police.
He says his goal was to get into law enforcement, but a medical issue prevented him from working full time. He says dispatch was the next best thing.
Robinson started working with a card and a pencil taking calls, he has witnessed the Advanced 911 System that enabled dispatchers to see where calls were coming from and then the introduction of cell phones and the system to plot them.
“Very little technology when I first started, the technology is amazing the way it has changed in the last 30 years,” says Robinson.
Multitasking is a huge part of the job, his advice to fellow dispatchers, “Remember the people you are serving, the officer, dispatch is their lifeline, and the people on the street, that’s who we are, that’s who we serve.”
Robinson will continue on, serving the City of Batavia Police Department in a part time capacity as a desk clerk, assisting officers.