VIDEO: Two Van Buren County dispatchers are being honored for their heroic actions on the job.
Alison Dean has worked with the agency for two years, and her dad was also a dispatcher.
“It's not a job you can do without the heart. You have to have a commitment to serving the civilians and serving all the first responders and everybody,” said Dean.
Her commitment was tested recently when she received a call that a man with disabilities was stuck in his home that was on fire.
“I recognized I need to get this guy’s help. I'm thinking, okay, you're stuck in your bed. The fire is in your bed. You can't get out. What can we do? So, I'm thinking, can we throw the comforters over, and try and smother it a little bit? Can we shift away from it? Through that whole thing, I'm just keeping a calm voice and comforting him,” said Dean.