PORTLAND, Ore. -- For Kyle Southwick, a 911 dispatcher for Portland's Bureau of Emergency Communications, every day is different.

In Southwick's 11 years taking calls for BOEC, he's learned he can be the difference in saving a life or catching a crook. He said that's what keeps him coming back to a job that can truly be stressful.

"To me, a stressful day is every day," Southwick said.

About 1 million calls are made to BOEC every year. And between 2,500 and 3,500 calls are made to BOEC each day. Of those, roughly 2,000 pan out and are dispatched to police, fire or medical agencies.

In a 30-minute period FOX 12 spent with Southwick, he took an average of one call every three minutes for everything from a car theft to a hit-and-run. He said it feels like more 911 calls are being made.

"It seems like every year, we increase our call volume," Southwick said.

More of those calls also come from cell phones. In 2008, roughly 60 percent of calls came from cell phones, up from 42 percent three years ago.

While people have changed the way they call 911, Southwick said his job remains the same and he must get help to people who need it and help police catch the crooks.

"You gather all the information you can in order to catch the bad guy and when that happens, it makes you fell good, knowing you took that call," Southwick said.

To learn more about the Bureau of Emergency Communications, visit its Web site.