S.C. first responders mourn the loss of veteran dispatcher

鈥淟amar was an expert at helping others鈥� the Columbia Police Department stated in a social media post

December 16, 2024 11:29 AM

By Noah Feit
The State

COLUMBIA, S.C. 鈥� The unexpected death of a longtime 911 dispatcher in Columbia and Richland County was mourned by multiple emergency agencies in South Carolina.

Chad Lamar died 鈥渟uddenly鈥� Tuesday, according to the . Information about the 50-year-old鈥檚 cause of death was not available.

鈥� today for our partners at Columbia - Richland 9-1-1 as they are mourning the loss of one of their own,鈥� the fire department said.

Lamar was a 23-year veteran with the , according to the .

鈥� at helping (officers) safely navigate emergency calls for service,鈥� police said.

In his role with ColumbiaRichland 9-1-1, Lamar served as emergency responders鈥� 鈥渓ifeline to the world,鈥� according to the .

鈥淎 dispatcher who stays calm no matter what the radio traffic is saying can have a positive influence on an incident. A dispatcher who can crack a joke over the air can break the tension on scene. A dispatcher who knows everything about their system and ours brings order to the chaos quickly,鈥� Irmo officials said. 鈥淐had Lamar was all three of those things and more.

鈥淗e has been the voice that . He鈥檚 also been a friend, mentor and a great human being to all of us. He will be sorely missed in the Midlands.鈥�

That sentiment was echoed by the Columbia Fire Department, which said Lamar 鈥渨as a close friend to many members of our fire family. He will be sorely missed.鈥�

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