End of Watch: Dispatcher Keith Sinclair Laid to Rest

ELKTON, Sept. 9, 2019 – On this Monday in late summer, first responders, friends, and family gathered to say goodbye to N. Keith Sinclair.  The sixty-four-year-old, passed away suddenly Wednesday morning (Sept 4), while preparing to report for a duty shift at the Cecil County Department of Emergency Services.  Keith was a 911 dispatcher, a position he held for 43-years. 

For all of his adult life, Keith volunteered with county fire departments and worked in communications for Emergency Services.  As a teenager, he joined the ranks of the Singerly Fire Company as soon as he was sixteen.  Starting in May 1971, he worked his way up the ranks, becoming certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and serving as Elkton’s Ambulance Director.  Later, he joined the Chesapeake City Volunteer Fire Company.

In 1978, he was a member of the first Cecil County class of what was then known as paramedics.   In those formative years for Emergency Medical Services, the first ALS providers were known as paramedics as training, and additional levels of certification were some years in the future.  That first class composed entirely of Singerly members had been taught by Frank Muller, Paramedic Instructor. 

In 1976, he took a full-time job as a dispatcher at fire headquarters.   In the mid-1970s, one dispatcher worked a shift, juggling calls and handling radio traffic for police and fire departments while also maintaining handwritten records of the activities.  Dispatcher Sinclair grew with the job, as 911 came in, computers replaced paper logs, and the call volume increased dramatically.  Now a full team of call takers, dispatchers, and supervisors provide the first contact someone has in time of an emergency.

Dispatcher Sinclair, a professional in every way, was a highly respected public safety colleague.  He kept his officers safe on the streets, kept up with changing times, and was that calm, reassuring voice thousands of people heard when they needed help the most.  From the first call he took in 1973 to the last one he handled a few days ago, he was a caring public servant.  That could be seen today as tears were shed and people sorrowfully hugged each other on this sad, sad Monday in late summer.    

Following services at Hicks Home for Funerals, police fire vehicles, paramedic units, and fire trucks led family and friends in a processional motorcade to the graveside service at Gilpin Manor.  At Gilpin Manor the clouds gave way and the sky cleared as the mournful sounds of the bagpipe faded off into the distance while uniformed first responders carried the casket from the old North East Fire engine.  In the final moments of the graveside service, the sound of a dispatcher broke the silence with the final call for Dispatcher Sinclair. 

Keith Sinclair dedicated his life to emergency services and to serving the people of Cecil County.  The friend, colleague, and public servant will be missed.

See album for additional photos from the funeral service for Keith Sinclair. (under construction)