ST. JOSEPH — The Berrien County Board of Commissioners recognized two Dispatchers of the Year April 12 during a regularly scheduled meeting.

There were six dispatchers nominated for their extra ordinary efforts and abilities while dispatching 9-1-1 calls. 

The nominees were Ryan Lucker, Kristina Burks, Lanny Duffel, and Curtis Howard of the Berrien County Consolidated Dispatch, and Eric Ruth and Nicole Murdock of the Niles City Dispatch.            

The Dispatcher of the Year Awards were presented by Chikaming Township Police Chief and 9-1-1 Advisory Committee Chairman Todd Taylor.

Niles dispatcher Eric Ruth and Berrien County dispatcher Lanny Duffel were recognized as Berrien County Dispatcher of the year.

Ruth is credited for his calm and well-controlled execution of a pursuit involving a stolen motorcycle.  The suspect crashed, and radio contact between the officer and dispatch was lost for a time, while the suspect and another individual (suspect’s brother) assaulted the officer.  Ruth coordinated other police units for back-up and alerted the duty supervisor. 

Two good Samaritans came to the aid of the officer and freed him from the grasp of the attackers.  Back-up officers arrived on scene, the officer was able to gain control of the suspects, and take them into custody without further incident.

Duffel is valued by his peers for his reliability in skillfully and effectively processing countless emergency calls “within the trenches.”  Those who know him say he possesses an excellent work ethic applied with a great sense of humor.  His friendly and professional demeanor aids him as he interacts with panicked callers, or with the team to mobilize emergency responders. Superiors say he is consistently thinking on how to improve critical information sharing during operations.

In commemoration of 9-1-1 Week, Director Dave Agens provided information about free Public Safety Apps available in Berrien County. Information about these is also available on the Berrien County website, berriencounty.org.

Smart911 — On this application citizens can build their own private/household profile to share only with public safety personnel for when they call 911.  It is nationwide and will go anywhere the mobile phone goes. Smart911 provides information to dispatchers that citizens may not be able to provide during the time of a stressful 911 call.

RAVEFacility — On this application a business can build a facility profile for their organization that will provide public safety personnel with important location directions, facility contacts, and hazardous materials lists, even when 911 is called by a mobile device in the facility.

BWARN! — Citizens can register to receive priority notifications regarding the Berrien County locations that a citizen may be most interested in during a local emergency and can pre-register for special needs services during a disaster.