WALLACE — When an active shooter opened fire inside the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 26, 2025, dispatchers helped evacuate parts of the building, returned to their consoles and continued answering 9-1-1 calls while the threat remained inside. 

For those actions, the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Team received the Golden Headset Award for Outstanding Emergency Communications Team on Friday from critical communications company Zetron. 

Often overlooked in discussions about emergency response, dispatchers are the first people callers hear during moments of crisis. They gather information, coordinate resources and serve as a critical link between victims and first responders in the field. 

SCSO Dispatch Director Casey Van Buskirk nominated his team for the award based on its response during the shooting. 

Van Buskirk said members of the dispatch team helped evacuate portions of the building before returning to answer 9-1-1 calls, even while an active shooter remained inside the facility. The team also provided key intelligence to law enforcement officers responding outside the building. 

Veteran dispatchers Jonnie Rotchford and Suzanne Evans were under active fire during these efforts — sending out calls for assistance while also taking incoming emergency calls. 

Nicole Belloli presented the award on behalf of Zetron. She explained that the award program began four years ago and that this year Shoshone County was one of six recipients selected from the company’s clients worldwide. 

Zetron provides mission-critical communications technology for public safety agencies to coordinate emergency response and maintain reliable communication between dispatch centers and officers in the field. 

“Behind every successful emergency response is a team working together when it matters most,” Belloli said. “The outstanding emergency communications team award recognizes a group whose exceptional professionalism, resilience, commitment and tenacity exemplify the highest standards of public safety and crisis response.” 

Belloli highlighted the courage shown by Shoshone County’s dispatchers during the incident, noting they could have chosen to stop working during the ordeal but instead continued supporting the response. She also praised the team for returning to work in the aftermath of the shooting. 

“Throughout the duration of the incident, the team maintained an unwavering focus on protecting their community, while simultaneously supporting one another through an unfathomable crisis,” she said. “It is Zetron’s profound honor to present the 2026 outstanding emergency communications team award to the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Team.” 

Sheriff Shawn Wehr, who was appointed three months after the shooting, said he was proud of the team. 

“I’m so grateful to have such skilled and dedicated communications officers,” Wehr said. “This team is second to none.” 

During the ceremony, Van Buskirk spoke about the unique role emergency communications officers fill. Working in a high-pressure environment, dispatchers must quickly gather critical information, make split-second decisions and coordinate emergency responses while helping callers through some of the most stressful moments of their lives. 

“We love this job,” Van Buskirk said. “We love our people, and we love the people that we serve.”