Heroes On The Other End Of The Line: Branford's 911 Dispatchers

BRANFORD, CT —They are the first line of communication in an emergency; calm clue-collectors. Gathering the information and then relaying it to police or fire first-responders while reassuring the caller: help is on the way. A 911 dispatcher can be, and often is, the lifeline between someone in an emergency situation and the responding police, fire or EMTs.

Described as "unsung heroes," their role is critical in emergency situations, now more than ever.

In Branford, they are celebrated.

The town has two new 911 telecommunicators in training for both the Branford Police Department and the Branford Fire Department. Theirs will be the voices answering those calls. Meet Jacqueline Kanzler and Zachary Esposito.

From the Branford police Facebook page:

"Dispatcher Jacqueline Kanzler comes to us from AMR-Bridgeport where she worked as an EMT for three years. She received her Bachelor's degree in Bio-Medical Science from Quinnipiac University in 2016. She's currently working on her Masters degree in Biology at SCSU.

Dispatcher Zachary Esposito earned his Bachelor's degree in National Security Studies from University of New Haven in 2020. Dispatcher Esposito is third generation in this field and his father currently works as a Telecommunicator for a neighboring town.

They have some big shoes to fill as one of the vacancies in our Dispatch Center comes from the recent retirement of Dispatcher John Carter. Please join us is wishing these two luck in their careers with us and a happy retirement to Dispatcher Carter!"