Montgomery County Mourns Sudden Loss of Veteran 911 Dispatcher Rob Shang of Amsterdam

A 27-year voice behind the emergency lines is gone, leaving a community searching for answers and honoring a lifetime of service.

Amsterdam, NY —

Folks across Montgomery County are feeling a heavy weight this week after the sudden passing of longtime 911 dispatcher and firefighter Rob Shang — a man who spent nearly three decades being the calm voice on the other end of chaos.

For 27 years, Shang worked the lines with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, answering calls that most people pray they never have to make. Whether it was a fire, a crash, or someone’s worst day unfolding in real time, chances are he was right there — steady, focused, and ready to help.

And he didn’t just sit behind a desk either.

Shang also served in the fire service, including time with the Amsterdam Fire Department and as Second Assistant Chief with the Cranesville Volunteer Fire Department. That means when the tones dropped, he didn’t just hear the emergency — he ran toward it.

Now here’s where things get real — and we’re not gonna sugarcoat it:

👉 His passing has been described as sudden, and as of right now, no official cause of death has been publicly released.

That hasn’t stopped the community from showing up.

Law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and fellow dispatchers across the region have been speaking out, sharing stories of a man who treated people like family, cracked jokes when things got tense, and showed up day after day for a job most folks couldn’t handle for a week.

Behind the uniform, he was also a husband, a father of three, a son, and a brother — the kind of man who built his life around taking care of others.

And now, the same community he served is left doing the hard part… saying goodbye.

Let’s be clear:
Until officials or the family release more details, anything else floating around is just noise. And around here, we deal in facts — not rumors.

What we do know is this:

Montgomery County didn’t just lose a dispatcher.
They lost a lifeline.