“When the phone is ringing, you don’t know what’s on the other side,” says Amaya Joy Tavares, a 25-year-old dispatcher from Mililani who recently completed a demanding 38-week training program. “Nothing can prepare you for what you’re about to hear...it's like the worst experience that they're probably going through in their entire life...and you just have to do your best as a dispatcher to just reassure them and let them know that everything's going to be okay.”
The Heart of the Operation
The RDC is the main Public Safety Answering Point for military bases on Oahu and the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, covering over 200 square miles.
They handle fire, medical, and police calls for all Department of Defense installations and step in to support Honolulu's 911 services when needed.
"CNRH dispatch is vital because it serves as a primary lifeline for the safety and security of the fleet, fighter, and family," explained Neil Fujioka, deputy emergency manager at CNRH. "Operating a dispatch center directly enables the Navy to maintain operational readiness."
The job demands a unique blend of empathy, composure, and sharp technical skills. Dispatchers are responsible for coordinating multiple emergency channels, monitoring alarms, and tracking the real-time locations of first responders—all while keeping a caller calm and extracting critical information.
A Day in the Life
No two days are the same for an emergency dispatcher. One moment they might be guiding a caller through CPR, and the next, they could be handling a crisis like a baby being born over the phone, a scenario Tavares recently experienced.
Christopher-Tyrell Spake, 41, a lead emergency response dispatcher from Ewa Beach, manages a team and makes split-second decisions about jurisdiction and response protocols. He emphasizes the need for continuous skill development. "Dispatchers should type, multitask, and practice listening to more than one conversation at once whenever they can," he advises. These skills were put to the test during the recent Kona low storms, which brought a deluge of calls.
Christopher Range, 38, another veteran dispatcher who is from Kaneohe, was also on duty during the storms, handling a surge in calls about power outages, people trapped in elevators, and car accidents. “The adrenaline is going,” Range says of high-volume events. “You just have to ride that momentum and just go along with the flow.”
A True Calling
The intense pressure and emotional toll mean that being a dispatcher isn't for everyone; Spake and Tavares both describe it as a "calling."
The profession faces challenges with staffing shortages due to high stress and demanding work hours.
Despite the difficulties, the motivation for these dispatchers is clear. “We're the first first responder,” Tavares explains. “Before the paramedics, before the firefighters, before the police get there, we're the first people to respond.”
This sense of purpose is what drives them. "For me, the reason why I wanted to go into dispatching was because I knew that it was something rewarding," Tavares shares. "People are calling you for help...I knew that I just wanted to help people.”