Jumpline magazine Spring 2025 - Flipbook - Page 30
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The Dispatchers and the Captain
“Fire communications, Solomon
speaking, how may I help you?”
Veronica “Ronnie” Solomon
Dispatcher
if there was a backdraft when the door opened?"
Laura recalled he was upset. When they returned to
the station, the incident became a teaching moment
on how to keep a person safe when riding rescue
and going on 昀椀re calls. She summed it up by saying
she was able to witness his greatness in action.
Ronnie and the Ronettes would ring out whenever
Captain Bill Gustin would hear my voice on the other
end of the phone line when he’d call in to the Fire
Alarm Of昀椀ce for his dispatch times way back when.
If you know, you know.
Not sure if he could feel the wide smile on my face emitting
through the receiver, but it was there. Captain Gustin was a
larger-than-life 昀椀gure who made the dispatchers feel warm and
safe when they were in his presence. He was a master at making you feel as if no one existed but you when you interacted
with him, whether it was on the telephone, dispatching him to
a traf昀椀c crash or running into him in the parking lot. He would
never greet you with an easy hello, most times if not all the time
he’d startle you with something robust, and heartfelt.
He had a special friendship and closeness with Dispatcher Eileen Kimball. If you knew of their relationship you knew it was special. He would send her lovely bouquets of 昀氀owers on a regular basis. He would accompany her
to the holiday parties at the home of dispatcher Cindy Hughes.
To be out with him in a social setting was just as rewarding because his positive spirit was infectious. Same Captain Gustin,
different space.
No one knows for sure what goes on in a person’s mind, but a
smile masks a lot. You would never know when something was
on his mind or if he was not in a good head space because you
never saw that side of him. The legacy he has left on the table
I asked dispatchers with longevity about their experience with
for dispatchers, active and retired, is that giving calls to Engine
the captain, and as I was putting this together, I was 昀椀rst met
2 will be a memory etched into the culture of Fire
with a solemn expression which immediately
Alarm for years to come. Dispatcher Michelle
transferred to a genuine smile, then a chant,
Peguero-Rivera, who is still early in her career,
“Jay, my brother, my brother, my brother” is how
recalled Captain Gustin as an instructor for one
he referred to dispatcher Jathaniel Grif昀椀th when
of her dispatch training sessions. By the end of
their paths crossed. His greeting was his term
the instruction, she said she wanted to ditch disof endearment for you and only you. They were
The legacy he has
patching and move directly into becoming a 昀椀reunique and 昀椀tting. This was one of many ways
left on the table for
昀椀ghter. She said, “He was so convincing about
he referred to each dispatcher he came across.
his experience as a 昀椀re昀椀ghter that I wanted to
We all had a phrase attached to our names.
dispatchers, active
become one.”
What a welcome introduction to the dispatch
and
retired,
is
center, a nicknamed phrase bestowed upon you
No one has come close to having an impact on
that giving calls to
by the great Captain Gustin.
the Fire Alarm Of昀椀ce than Captain Gustin. His
Engine 2 will be a
presence was towering but never imposing. VivHis professionalism was woven with a hint of
ian Hug, one of our proud veterans, said that
genuine kindness, and it was tied together with
memory etched into
she would run into Captain Gustin at the gym,
a smile in the shape of a bow. That was every
the
culture
of
Fire
one of his favorite places. Their pleasant eninteraction. His commitment to serving the 昀椀re
counters at the headquarters facility would get
Alarm
for
years
department didn’t just land and rest with the
met with a resounding “There she is,” which she
昀椀eld. He had a way of making sure we, the disto come.
said made her feel great. According to Vivian,
patchers, were always taken care of. Recently,
he was the ultimate hype man. He would give
Dispatcher Kiesher McKoy fell in the parking lot
welcomed but unsolicited workout advice. “Go
and Captain Gustin witnessed it. He immediateeasy
on
the
weight.
That is a sure way to destroy your knees,”
ly ran over to her while shouting, “Ms. McKoy, I got you.” Then
he
would
say,
as
she
was utilizing the leg extension machine.
he scooped her up from the ground and gingerly placed her on
the red bench, with what turned out to be a broken ankle. She
At the last Medal Day ceremony, Captain Gustin received the
looked at him and said, “Bill, you are a strong old dude.” He
Trainer of the Year award for 2024. While at the ceremony, Dischuckled.
patchers Yvette Scott, Maribel Rodriguez and Clarissa Bond
crossed paths with Captain Gustin. They also received awards
He had a way of ensuring our safety. Dispatcher Laura Graves,
on that day. What they received from him was a gracious greeta 27-year senior dispatcher, recalls during the early part of her
ing. “This must be a beauty pageant,” and then he turned to
career when she was riding as an observer on Rescue 2. Both
Yvette and said, “The lovely Mrs. Scott,” which is how he’s adStation 2 units took an arrival on a 昀椀re alarm at Ward Towers, an
dressed her for more than twenty years.
apartment complex. As they made their way upstairs, they didn’t
know that Captain Gustin was standing outside the elevator
The dispatchers will miss the sweet echo of Captain Gustin's
doors in full gear. When the doors opened, he saw everyone exvoice. We will miss the boom of his laughter and the awakening
cept Laura was in gear. He immediately became livid and ripped
of his wisdom. He related to all aspects of the 昀椀re service; his
knowledge included dispatch as well. Retired Dispatcher Natalie
into the crew. “Why was she on that elevator?” he yelled. "What
Spring 2025 | JUMPLINE Magazine
