DADE CITY, Fla. — Imagine answering a 911 call and hearing this:
“There’s a plane crash right in front of me.”
That’s exactly what Pasco County emergency dispatchers faced on the morning of April 19 when a small plane went down in a Land O’ Lakes neighborhood.
The crash happened around 8:30 a.m. on what dispatchers said was usually a quiet Sunday.
“Most Sundays are pretty much quiet,” said dispatcher Mark Ferguson.
Moments later, that calm was gone.
“911, what’s the address of your emergency?”
“There’s a plane crash right in front of me.”
The aircraft narrowly missed nearby homes, but the pilot did not survive. Callers described the terrifying moments as they unfolded.
“There was a plane crash! I saw the whole thing. Get dad, get dad!”
Those calls were routed to Pasco County’s new 911 dispatch center in Dade City.
Ferguson said while the call was unexpected, dispatchers moved quickly to get help on the way.
“For us to get a call like that, it really caught us off guard,” he said. “Sundays aren’t usually this busy… people are at church. But we made sure the right response got out immediately.”
County leaders said the new facility is more than just another call center; it’s a critical backup that could save lives.
Captain Eric Seltzer, Pasco County’s director of emergency services, said the Dade City location adds reliability to the system.
“If a fiber line gets cut, or something happens at our New Port Richey center, we’re up and running here,” Seltzer said. “There’s no interruption for the people of Pasco County.”
The new center also helps with staffing, making it easier to recruit dispatchers who live in East Pasco.
Supervisor Robyn Borden says the job requires focus and compassion, no matter how intense the situation.
“We have to be there for the people of Pasco County… for deputies, for fire rescue,” Borden said. “If you want to do this job, you have to have that dedication.”
And while new technology, especially AI, is becoming the norm.
Seltzer said not to expect a robot answering your emergency call anytime soon.
“It’s one thing to deal with AI when you’re checking a bank balance,” Seltzer said. “It’s very different when you’re calling 911.”
He said any future use of AI would need to be thoroughly tested and designed to support, not replace, human dispatchers.
Pasco County is also one of only a few counties in Florida with a fully consolidated 911 system. That means all emergency calls across cities and agencies are handled through a unified network.
Share Your Story with Erik
For more than 15 years, Erik Waxler has called Pasco County home. He’s dedicated to helping his neighbors from New Port Richey to Dade City solve problems and celebrating those who help others. Share your ideas and tips with Erik below.
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