This week, Tampa International Airport is celebrating National Telecommunicators Week, a time to recognize the dedicated men and women who serve as the vital link between the public, Operations, and emergency response teams. At TPA, those professionals are the dispatchers inside the Airport Operations Center (AOC), often referred to as the Airport’s “nerve center.”
Kelly Renza, Senior Manager of the AOC’s Operations team, oversees the dispatchers responsible for keeping the Airport running smoothly around the clock.
“Dispatchers are one of those groups that sometimes get forgotten about,” Renza said. “They hold a very important role in nearly every part of the Airport, whether you’re outside on the runway or inside one of our terminals. They’re the ones taking customer service calls, emergency calls, or any type of call for service.”
The AOC operates 24/7 with a staff of 36 dispatchers and supervisors, 18 in Operations and 18 in Public Safety. The teams work in shifts that cover every hour of every day. Together, they handle thousands of calls ranging from routine maintenance issues to emergencies requiring immediate response.
“They’ve been called the heartbeat of the Airport,” Renza explained. “We get calls for fuel spills, medicals, shuttles down, or anything going on in the Airport.”
Those responders might be Airport Police, ARFF firefighters, maintenance crews, or custodial teams, depending on the situation. The AOC fields calls from both Airport staff and passengers, sometimes frantic, sometimes confused, and often grateful.
“We get everything from ‘When does my flight leave?’ to ‘I left my bag at security,’ to ‘There’s a spill in the restroom,’” Renza said. “And sometimes, it’s a medical emergency or a lost child. No two calls are ever the same.”
The AOC’s advanced technology and prime location give the team a panoramic view of Airport operations. But the job is far from easy.
“It’s a lot of noise to get used to,” Renza said. “You’ve got alarms going off, fire alarms, shuttle alarms, and 911 calls coming in, sometimes all at once.”
During major events such as hurricanes or power outages, the AOC becomes a hub of coordinated activity. “A power outage can be very stressful,” Renza noted. “You’re getting all parties involved across the Airport, with officers working with Operations to check doors and ensure security. There are flashing strobes, elevated radio traffic, and it’s all hands on deck.”
Despite the intensity, Renza describes the AOC team as a close-knit family.
“They’re very strong, very dedicated, just a wonderful, talented family,” she said. “They spend a lot of time together and work together so well. They always make sure the top priority is taking care of our passengers and guests.”
For Airport Operations Supervisor Alana Geil, who has been with the AOC for four years, that sense of teamwork and variety is what makes the job so rewarding. “I enjoy that not every day is the same,” Geil said. “There are so many things to do, and the industry is always evolving with new steps forward for safety and training. There’s always something to learn and create.”
Geil described her role as a “fun and unique opportunity to learn everything you can about an Airport” and said that being at the center of operations keeps the job exciting. “We’re frontline and center, responding to different issues whether that’s maintenance or an aircraft alert,” she said. “It’s truly a rewarding job.”
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