When the winter storm smacked the Metroplex and Texas as a whole last week, first responders stepped up.

Julia Maschmann in Wylie was just one of them.

Maschmann is supervisor of dispatchers for the city of Wy­lie, where she has been for a little over a year. Previous to Wylie, she worked as a dis­patcher at Murphy for 8 1/2 years.

She reported for work on Feb. 13 for her normal shift and then stayed several days straight, ensuring the city re­sponded as well as it could to the wintry weather and the cri­ses that occurred. The area and state suffered through power outages and a lack of water.

“I live further out, so I was a little hesitant to drive in and out,” Maschmann said. “I don’t have family in town that I could stay with. Some of the dispatchers offered to let me stay at their houses in town, but as a supervisor, I feel like I needed to be available at all times.”

Maschmann woke up at 2 a.m. Feb. 15 to advise dis­patchers about the rolling blackouts and ended up work­ing from 2 to 6:30 a.m. in her pajamas, and then she took a nap and woke up at 9 a.m. and then went back to work. She slept in a bed in her office.

For the full story, see the Feb. 24 issue or subscribe online.

By Don Munsch • [email protected]