March 25, 2025  | Makenzie Kellar

Jeffcom 911 is a dispatch communications center responsible for serving Jefferson and Clear Creek Counties. As the liaisons between those in crisis and 30 various police, fire, and medical agencies, every member of the Jeffcom 911 team could be considered a hero in their own right. However, the CSD Pool would like to recognize one staff member that has gone above and beyond the call of duty during her nine years with the organization: Operations Manager Jennifer Gustin.

Known by her colleagues for her remarkable leadership, friendliness, and drive for self-improvement, it’s a wonder that Jennifer first became a 911 dispatcher merely by chance.

“I owned and operated a licensed daycare and private preschool” Jennifer explains. She had initially started the business as a way to simultaneously work and stay at home with her newborn daughter. After seven years, she decided that it was time for a change.

“One day, I was working on some invoices for the daycare and an email popped up from a recruiting site, with a big flashy button asking, ‘Do you want to be a 911 dispatcher?’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure,’ and clicked the button. That is literally what started my career in emergency communications!”

It was radically different than her previous job, but Jennifer immediately fell in love with her new role.

“Once I got a taste of it, I knew I was where I was supposed to be.”

Though Jennifer started as a dispatcher, she has since taken numerous trainings, taught others as part of Jeffcom 911’s academy, and worked as part of the Tactical Dispatch Program. In her current role, Jennifer helps manage operations for the entire organization.

Jennifer’s colleague, Deputy Director of Support Services Gina Ramirez, adds that Jennifer has excelled as a leader and is “a true embodiment of courage, compassion, and steadfast commitment.” For Gina, this was especially clear when watching Jennifer assist with Jeffcom 911’s merger with Clear Creek County.

“This complex undertaking required meticulous planning, effective communication, and a deep understanding of both agencies' unique needs and challenges,” Gina says. “Jennifer navigated these complexities, ensuring a smooth transition for all personnel while maintaining seamless emergency response services throughout the merger process.”

Jennifer remembers the merger well, since it had been confirmed just a few short weeks after she had been promoted to Operations Manager. To see the project through to completion, Jennifer says she “got to work very quickly” and began establishing relationships with everyone who would be involved in the process.

“I was in my new role and was notified that I would be responsible for the Clear Creek merger, minus the IT piece,” she says. “This task was a bit scary for me as I had never been in this role before and was not working alongside anyone who had actually executed a merger before.”

Jennifer not only thrives in her current role, but is always seeking opportunities to improve both her own leadership skills and the organization as a whole.

For example, Jennifer spearheaded the development of a 20-hour Tactical Dispatch Course for their Incident Dispatch Team, championed the implementation of ForceMetrics (a search and analytics platform that has allowed Jeffcom 911 to use a data-driven approach to allocate resources and improve response times), and took the lead on organizing several projects to get her co-workers involved in their Peer Support Team.

Jennifer’s proudest accomplishment is a rather recent one: receiving her certification as an Emergency Number Professional. This certification is provided through a national dispatch association called NENA, (National Emergency Number Association) which sets the standards for emergency communications across the country.

The process of obtaining this certification was grueling. Jennifer recalls that she “had to pass an extremely difficult exam that includes the methods of telephone call transports, specific technology functions, operations, management, legislation, and information systems.” Describing herself as not much of a “tech” person, Jennifer knew that understanding the material on this test would be challenging. However, after much effort and a 15-hour study session, she passed and earned her certification.

The work doesn’t end there, however. When asked about the future of Jeffcom 911, Jennifer says that they are constantly improving and will soon be moving into a state-of-the-art facility with improved technology and security. She is also working on regionalizing Jeffcom 911’s Incident Dispatch Team so that they can better support the community.

She also offers some advice for others who want to improve safety in their own districts.

“The most valuable tip that I could provide for safety would be a heightened awareness to your surroundings. This could be inside the communications center, outside in the parking lot, or even out at a public event. Knowing your surroundings and being continually observant, is the first step to improving safety, in any form.”

For exceptional work over nine years of service, the CSD Pool is proud to have Jennifer Gustin as this edition’s Safety Hero.

If someone at your district goes above and beyond in the name of safety and risk management, nominate them to be our next Safety Hero! Learn more about what our winner’s receive and read about past Safety Heroes on our website.