Intrigued, Not Intimidated
Lloyd Fayling on APCO & Genesee County 9-1-1 Authority

  By Courtney McCain | Public Safety Communications

June 2010

In the midst of a law enforcement, Lloyd Fayling got an offer that was too interesting to refuse, It was 1972 and the young Michigan State Police Sergeant was tapped to develop  and the lead the state's first centralized dispatch center. 

"I found out later none of the other post sergeants wanted it," Fayling says, having been more intrigued than intimidated by the challenge. " It had not been done before, and it allowed me to build policies and procedures, learn and teach dispatching, and directly interact with many entities. 

Fayling began his career as a patrol officer in his hometown of Kalamazoo in 1964 before joining the MSP two years later. 

Although dispatching was hardly a profession, a centralized agency was cutting edge at the time. Fayling brought law enforcement experience, but no communications experience, to his assignment and knew he needed mentoring to be successful. 

" My first action was to find APCO and join," Fayling says. He developed a network of mentors, including long-time Michigan APCO members Dave Held and the late Dave Wise, who encouraged him to get and stay involved. More than 38 years later Fayling has served in every Michigan APCO chapter office, and on APCO's Executive Council, and helped organize state and national conferences.

As director of the Genesee County 9-1-1 authority in Flint Mich., since its creation, Fayling oversees more than 40 employees who field on average more than 32,000 calls monthly. MSP transferred the department to a local authority in 1996 when, coincidently, then-director Fayling was past the MSP retirement age-after 29 years of service. So Fayling helped design a new system and center that was connected to MSP, but under local authority and funded by a county wide phone surcharge.

"I retired from the state police on a Friday, and the next Monday, I was in the new center as its director, " Fayling says. " And I've been there ever since. It amazes me that, even at my age, I still enjoy what I do."

Fayling has gleaned invaluable leadership skills not only through his position, but also from his employees. Always curious about what's happening, Fayling says he learned early that hovering accomplishes little in the high-stress dispatch environment.

"When things were hitting the fan, I'd go out and stand there to see and hear what was going on," Fayling recalls. " And finally, one of my dispatchers pulled me aside and said, 'You've got to understand what you're doing to us when you stand behind us like that.' And he was absolutely right. From that point forward, I stand back. If I've done my job right, they'll do their job right. They don't need that extra stress, don't need to worry about a boss standing behind them while they've got everything going on, while they're trying to do their job."

He has maintained that stance, acting as a mentor and supporting figure for the county's dispatch personnel, who handle calls for the county's 4400,000 citizens, 31 police departments and 32 fire stations.

With the Michigan State 9-1-1 Committee urging statewide NG9-1-1, Genesee County is working on upgrading its own consoles. It will also be hiring additional communications personnel when the system adds countywide EMS dispatch to the mix in the near future, Fayling adds.

Fayling says, "More people are getting cell phones, and under the new law those phones are counted and taxed with a 9-1-1 surcharge, The law passed 15 months ago, but in the meantime people have been moving away."

Off Duty: Fayling and his wife, Leslie (a former dispatcher) have three grown sons. An outdoor enthusiast, Fayling enjoys gardening, boating and cutting his own firewood to fend off Michigan winters.

Having retired once already, Fayling isn't thinking of retiring again soon. When he does, he hopes to go into consulting, travel more and remain active in APCO.

" I feel so lucky to have found APCO," he says. "The organization and its members became my book, my guide. They took me under their wing and helped me grow, and I want to do the same for future generations.