15 minute read
HEALTH
Stronger Together
FiA (Females in Action) workouts strengthen women’s confidence and build lasting friendships.
BY KATHY BLAKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA GLANTZ
IIt’s 5:15 am, a final serving of stillness before the sun colors the horizon. A dozen or so women gather in workout clothes at a Wilmington park. Some are young mothers, some are businesswomen, some are pushing Social Security. They meet to exercise, regardless of weather, and to support and encourage each other in a camaraderie that stretches deeper than a mere “Good job!” while jogging in place. They’re at the park to strengthen not only their bodies, but also their hearts and minds, through friendships that overlap into discussion groups, lunches and coffee socials. Workouts are the foundation; confidence, security and sisterhood grow from it. Females in Action — FiA — has a presence in 15 states, and North Carolina has 22 chapters. FiA Cape Fear started in 2017 and holds 14 workouts a week, scattered among eight locations in Wilmington and Leland. Most are predawn; a few are early evening. Everyone is welcome. Everyone fits in. “We are really good about pointing out new people and encouraging them,” says Emily Sobul, regional leader for the Cape
Jayne Herman and Emily Davis
Nicki Brown, Stephanie Johnson and Alexis Phillips
The group cheers on Christine Ambriz.
Brandi Dunaway
Chrissy Gonthier, Emily Sobul, Jenn Tucker and Kayla Grubb Polly Diehl
Emily Davis instructs Caroline Brice, Stephanie Kamel, Spencer Bridgers and Kayla Grubb
Fear sites. “We want to empower you to do what you want to do.”
Sobul says her experience with FiA has been life-changing.
“We’ve all had our first time, which is nerve-wracking,” she says, “but be comforted in that the women are not here to judge; they’re here to empower.”
The women have a code. A workout location is an AO (area of operations). The Q is the group leader. A BB (back blast) is a workout summary. A session ends with a COT (circle of trust).
“After our workout, our Q posts our BBs and how our COT went at the end, maybe with a quote to reflect on or something to think about for the day,” Sobul says. “We have our own lexicon.”
Some attendees are in college, some are high-schoolers, some bring their daughters who are in grade school, some come by before work, and some are up into their 60s.
“We have a ‘no woman left behind’ mentality, so if we’re running, someone always is watching the back of the group,” Sobul says. “No one is ever alone, in whatever we do.”
Sobul, who works in the College of Education at UNC-Wilmington, took over the leadership role last June. Workouts are free, her position is volunteer and — as with the early morning sessions — she has a support group to help with FiA duties. It’s busy, but it’s a good busy.
“I work 40 hours-plus a week, but I do have people who help me,” she says. “Our weekday workouts are 45 minutes, and we really honor that start time and end time. We have people who have to go home and get the kids up and ready, or they’re coming in from working a night shift. It’s basically a peer-led, boot camp-style workout for women, only the methodology is that fitness brings the people here, but it improves the whole community. It improves our bodies, minds and hearts.”
Victoria Cranmer and Erin Tooley
And that — Bodies, Minds and Hearts — is the motto, the keywords in these women’s stories.
“Minds has to do with our little socials or our get-togethers after workouts,” Sobul says. “Some people will bring their coffee and sit around in a circle and talk. Hearts has to do with philanthropy things we do in the community. You come for the workout, but you stay for the community we have. We really are there for each other.”
Sobul recalls a participant who had a family issue before Christmas and how her workout group organized a monthlong meal train. Another moved to a new house, and FiA friends helped pack and carry.
Last spring, COVID-19 forced the workout groups to meet via Zoom. “We had good turnouts, but it isn’t anything like it is in person,” Sobul says. “But I think our groups grew, because gyms were closed and people were seeking something for physical activity. I know at least two people, who are in our Bible study, who canceled their gym membership.” In relation to the Minds and Hearts part of the motto, last October, FiA Cape Fear regulars started a Bible study group that meets on Saturdays. They’ve been studying the Book of John. It’s part of motivating the women to be mentally stronger. And that carries over to the Bodies aspect. “Last March I ran my first 5K,” Sobul says. “And they were there, cheering me on. Some even ran along beside me.” At 5:15 am at the park, sometimes only eight or nine women show up, but sometimes it’s close to 30. Tuesdays, when three city locations are in use, the total is just shy of 60. The peer-led sessions have a disclaimer — so no one is responsible in case of a mishap or injury. “We’ll have a person who comes up with a workout at home, then comes in and leads it,” Sobul says. “This is a different kind of leadership you might not get anywhere else, and once they get that empowerment and encouragement to lead, we’re there rain or shine.”
The focus is on everyone being their best in every area of their lives.
“Some have said that they’re better moms or better in their jobs because of the fitness and the camaraderie,” Sobul says. “And that’s the main thing. It’s more than a workout. It’s getting stronger, together.”
Want to join?
FiA Cape Fear
Contact: FiaNationCapeFear@gmail.com Website (for information and workout locations): fianation.com
THE FIRST
of First Responders
A glimpse into the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center and the people who save lives one 911 call at a time.
BY CHRIS R. LAYT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY FLAX
Most people only know what being a 911 operator is like from TV dramatizations. As it turns out, current reality shows, such as ABC’s Emergency Call, are just about spot on for demonstrating the work being done by the 28 telecommunicators serving Brunswick County. “The new show, Emergency Call, is a true depiction of how 911 works,” says Jonathan Talley, squad one supervisor for Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. However, unlike the show, which follows calls in big departments that have separate staff for taking calls and dispatching, at the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center, 911 operators are trained to both take calls and dispatch. “We do it all,” Talley explains. “Our telecommunicators answer the phone, dispatch, update units and call for resources.” For example, when there is a structure fire, local telecommunicators have to contact the fire marshal’s office, contact the power company to disconnect the power, possibly call the water department to boost pressure and make a lot of other notifications. “There are a lot of things we do behind the scenes,” Talley explains. Legislation has been introduced to reclassify the job status of 911 telecommunicators, which is currently seen as a clerical position, to that of first responders. “Sheriff Ingram is fully in support of the change,” says Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Emily Flax. Calls to 911 can be simple, static police matters such as a stolen lawn mower or they can be evolving, life-threatening emergencies such as a fire or bodily injury. It is up to the telecommunicators to discern the difference, and with a cool head, put the response in motion. Correct information gathering is paramount to proper response. People with extreme emergencies may think they are needlessly being asked a lot of questions when they call 911, but callers need to be patient while operators go through the mandatory data gathering. “We have certain information we need,” Talley says. “You may be thinking ‘Why are they asking that?’ but there is a reason why. We want to protect the citizens in Brunswick County, but we also want to protect the people we are sending to a call.” For example, they don’t want to send EMS to a domestic situation with guns involved before police officers get there. “Since the caller is on the scene, it is up to them to tell us what they are seeing, and it is up to us to relay that picture to the units in the field,” Talley says. “That way the units know what they are Left: Telecommunicator going to need. The information we gather allows the responders to Kelsey Ayers at her roll when they get on the scene.” station in the Brunswick
Flax says the frustration from callers is understandable. “People County Sheriff’s Office might think that while the dispatchers are asking these questions Communications Center.
How to Help the 911
Operators
Stay calm and be patient. The questions you are being asked are vital.
Know the location of your emergency.
Describe what you see and hear.
If you are in a dangerous situation and cannot talk, text 911.
Prank calls to 911 have a hefty fine and are almost always found out.
Do not hang up on an accidental 911 call, just explain what happened; otherwise, an officer will be dispatched.
Do not hang up until an operator tells you to. that nothing is happening,” she says, “but responders are likely already en route.”
Talley explains that emergency units are staged in various zones throughout the county, and as soon as a call comes in, a pre-alert is given.
“As soon as we hear ‘My husbands had a heart attack,’ we’re on the radio advising responders ‘EMD in progress,’ along with the address,” Talley says. “This alerts units of an impending call. Once the call is dropped into waiting in our computer system (CAD), units are already heading to the area.”
The public likely has some misconceptions about how 911 calls work. Many believe that the 911 operators automatically know the location of the phone call, but that is not always correct. Callers must give their location and address. One example is a caller saying an incident has happened on River Road, but both Wilmington and Leland have major streets named River Road, so the city or town location is important.
Others think that since they have a phone issued from another state, if their parents in that same state need emergency help, that calling 911 will alert the proper response team. The 911 system doesn’t work that way.
“Your cell phone works based on where your triangular location is from the towers,” Talley explains. “There are some gray areas. If you are right along the border of another county, they may get our calls and we may get theirs.”
Telecommunicator Alisha Sue-Craft.
Telecommunicators Tiffany Holden and Andrea Reisen.
Tools of the Communication Center
Brunswick County 911 telecommunicators work 12-hour shifts, from 5:45 to 5:45, in four rotations or squads. Those shifts have been on rotation, but in early 2021, Brunswick moved to permanent shifts.
“We routinely survey our staff to see if they prefer a rotating or permanent shift,” says Communications Center Director Tom Rogers. “We try to adjust to what suits them better, makes their lives more consistent.”
Operators wear a headset with a mouthpiece and have seven monitors of live data at their stations. It requires a lot of multitasking to listen to the caller and listen to what the emergency units are saying on the radio.
Three of the monitors are used for CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch). One is a phone system that they receive all calls through. Another is a radio screen that has all their different channels divided between the municipalities that they service. They have a paging channel and a tracker tool for places that have certain alarms, like banks. One screen has maps to help them pinpoint the location of a caller. Another screen is used to search data such as phone numbers or locations of a new business. One other screen is AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locate) used to see the medic trucks, fire trucks and law units that are live on CAD.
“We also have a DCI (Division of Criminal Information network) screen so we can run names, date of birth, car tags, criminal history, anything an officer may need,” Talley says. “We also use it to enter items that are stolen or lost.”
Operations Manager Kim Lewis explains, “Access to the DCI network is tied in with the state and federal FBI. We transmit information statewide or throughout the country about a missing person, wanted persons, stolen vehicles, anything lost or stolen. That’s how we keep track of that data and get that information out to other agencies.”
Aside from seven monitors, each station has two keyboards, two mice and “and a light, so we can see where our mouse is — it gets lost when you
Clockwise from top: Telecommunicators Johnathan Talley, Erica Horne and Ashley Johnson at the 911 Communications Center in Bolivia.
have that many screens,” Talley says with a laugh.
The sheriff’s office assigns zones to cover the 1,050 square miles of Brunswick County. The EMS units have a home base, but they move around a lot. It is up to the person dispatching for EMS to keep abreast of where those units are at all times.
Every Call is Unique
“We have a saying that ‘no call is the same,’” Talley says.
He shares that it can be tough to work in the county where you live, because sooner or later you are going to know the person in distress.
“Those are the worst, when you know the person,” he says. “Also calls about children or aging adults. … A lot of times after a call like that we’ll say, ‘Okay, I’m going to step out for a break.’ But there are times when we are so busy, you can’t take a break, you hang up on a tough call, and there is another one waiting.” 911 telecommunicators receive calls for a variety of things the public may not be aware of, such as a person needing an escort into their home to gather belongings because their spouse has filed a 50-B protection order or for help with a volatile child custody exchange.
“You never know what is going to be next,” Talley says. “The other day, it was kind of a slow day, not bad for a Sunday, then two houses were on fire and a third was catching on fire. There is no way you can plan for that.”
Ask when about the busiest time for a 911 operator, and a roomful of staff will laugh and say practically in unison, “When there is a full moon!”
“Full moons are when we have the weirdest, craziest calls,” Talley says. “It never fails.”
The staff has also learned to be cautious when things get too quiet. “Nine times out of 10 if you say, ‘It is quiet in here,’ you are going to be so busy it’s hard to keep up,” Talley says.
The hardest part of the job is that 911 call takers often do not hear the outcome of the situations in which they have been working. It’s as if someone cut out the last chapter of a book.
“That’s the one thing about our job that makes it really hard and is kind of a downside with 911 — a lot of times we don’t get the closure like officers and medics do,” Talley says. “We don’t ever find out whether that patient made it or not. I think that makes the job stressful in itself, starting something but not having an ending, it keeps you hanging and you kind of hold on to those things.”
But the staff of the Communications Center keeps going, one call after another, day in and day out, to save lives in Brunswick County.
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