With 750 Fourth of July calls, how does Ada County dispatch handle high volume?

Summer is usually a busy time for dispatchers at Ada County Sheriff's Office, Capt. Zack Wells, says they received over 750 calls the night of July, 4th.

• Ada County dispatch received more than 200 9-1-1 calls and more than 750 calls in total.
• The app, PulsePoint, shows more than 20 vegetation outdoor fires making it a busy night for dispatchers and first responders.

( Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
From medical emergencies and accidental injuries to illegal fireworks and human-caused wildfires, dispatchers hear it all.

I'm your Neighborhood Report Jessica Davis, getting a behind the scenes look at how dispatchers in Ada County handle a high call volume during the summer.

"You never know when the phone rings what's going to be on the other end until...you actually pick it up and start talking to the people,” says Zack Walls, Captain of Ada County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch.

From 9pm to 1am on July Fourth Ada County dispatch received more than 200 9-1-1 calls and more than 750 calls in total.

Madison Goodall says, “I did work last night to about 10 o' clock at night.”

Madison Goodall has worked every fourth of July for the last four years and two years ago she got one of the most memorable calls of her career.

She says, “We also in the middle of having a giant grass fire in the foothills, had a shooting and I had the patient yell at me like "I just got shot" and I'm like oh my gosh. Like when you expect people who are calling to be like I just heard shots like okay it's a firework but then it actually being shots fired was kind of crazy.”

Captain Zack Walls says, like most independence days, crews were dispatched to several small brushfires.

The app, PulsePoint, shows more than 20 vegetation outdoor fires making it a busy night for dispatchers and first responders.

"Their ability to quickly process those calls provide lifesaving assistance to people on the phone while they await field units to respond to the scene, they really are critical to providing public safety,” says Capt. Zack Walla.

Whether you see a spark in the foothills or need emergency help with a water rescue, dispatchers stress the importance of knowing exactly where you are, when you make that call to 911.