Those Who Keep Us Safe- Paige Cook

Paige Cook has spent the last six-and-a-half years working as a dispatcher for Vicksburg Warren E-911, and she has certainly heard just about everything. From the scary to the tragic to the occasionally funny, Paige has answered calls that have had her run the full gamut of emotions. 

But when asked about her most memorable moments, Paige recalls her times with her family. In fact, she said her proudest moment was when her husband’s children asked her to adopt them.

It’s obvious that family is important to Paige, a mother of (now) four.

As a 911 dispatcher, Paige said what she enjoys most is being able to help the families of our community and especially loves knowing that she plays a role in making sure our officers make it home safely to their own families.

Paige worked as a volunteer firefighter for both the Eagle Lake and Culkin departments alongside Bobby Rufus, the now deputy director of E-911. He was finally able to talk her into applying for a position with dispatch in 2015, as he recognized she was ideal for the job.

For Paige, the most stressful time on the job was during this year’s ice storm when she had to stay in the office for most of a week. Getting to only sleep a couple of hours at a time is trying enough, but she and the other dispatchers did it in the break room at their office. That experience also included family, as Paige’s sister-in-law, Hannah Williams, is also a dispatcher. She said it was by far the busiest they’ve ever been, but Paige said it was all worth it to make sure all officers and firefighters made it to their own homes and families safely each night.

Paige feels that working at E-911 is definitely her calling.

And as long as it continues to work for her family (as well as the countless families she impacts every day), she has no plans to put down her headset any time soon.

Paige Cook and her children
(with permission)