When an emergency situation is detected, our first response, after gathering initial information, is to call 911. The voice that answers the call is the true first responder to the emergency situation. It is the voice of a trained dispatcher with the Yolo Emergency Communications Agency (YECA), a consolidated 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The agency’s mission is to provide dispatch services for the Yolo County Sheriff; 3 municipal police departments, including Woodland’s; and 18 fire agencies, including fire agencies in Sutter and Colusa Counties. The YECA dispatchers who answer the calls are known as "the calm voices in a dark night." These 911 dispatchers play an important role in connecting those in emergency situations to the help and assistance they need. Krista Bryant, who was named as the 2019 Yolo County Dispatcher of the Year, describes the role of a dispatcher this way: “We just want everyone to be safe and make it home in the end. Everything we say supports that goal.”

Because YECA handles the dispatch of all emergency resources within the City of Woodland and most of Yolo County, they have over 300,000 inbound/outbound calls a year. Through these calls, they dispatch an average of 165,000 law enforcement, 28,000 fire, and 10,000 animal control and support services annually.

In 2004, YECA became the first PSAP in Northern California to answer wireless 911 calls directly from the public. Prior to 2004, wireless 911 calls were first sent to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), who routed the call to local agencies. This was both an increasing burden for the CHP and an increase in the response time of the emergency service. Whether YECA receives a call from a cellphone or landline, they have up to 60 seconds to receive the call, gather the information, and begin the dispatch process. In the next 60 seconds, the dispatcher has to make sure that the emergency call is received by the responding police and fire units.

In addition to directly receiving wireless calls, YECA emergency dispatchers began receiving emergency information via text message in December 2018. This feature is primarily intended for use by the hearing and speech impaired or in situations where talking is dangerous.

County officials are asking the public to consider the following factors when determining whether to call or text 911:

• Texting may delay response, so use this option only when necessary.
• If texting, you need to be able to provide a location and specific emergency description in the message.
• prepared to respond to follow-up texts from a dispatcher.
• Text messages should use simple words (no abbreviations or emojis).
• Do not send attachments or photos.
• Keep messages brief and to the point.
• To text 911, enter the numbers “911” in the “To:” field, type a message, and most importantly, press “Send.”

The public is welcome to visit YECA Dispatch Center. Dispatchers conduct sit-alongs so the public is able to see firsthand how the dispatchers handle their call volume. You can request a sit-along by calling (530) 666-8900. At the June Volunteers in Policing meeting, Morgan announced that she will be organizing a visit to the dispatch center in the future. Please let her know if you would like to participate.