‘If it gets worse, it’s going to be dangerous’: Vacancies grow at Raleigh 911 call center (NC)

‘If it gets worse, it’s going to be dangerous’: Vacancies grow at Raleigh 911 call center (NC)

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Raleigh public safety personnel continue to voice their concerns about safety in the City of Oaks as staff vacancies and low wages plague multiple departments.

The ABC11 I-Team spoke exclusively to a current 911 operator who has worked at the Wake-Raleigh Emergency Communications Center for years.

“We’re bleeding staff,” the employee said. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better. And I’m concerned about the citizens of Wake County and about the first responders…

Scarborough Honors National Telecommunications Week (ME)

Each year, the second full week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW). During the week of April 10-16, we honor the oft-forgotten heroes of public safety, our dispatchers, who serve our communities, citizens and public safety personnel 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Every emergency that a police officer or firefighter responds to begins with or is handled by one of our public safety dispatchers. They are truly on the front lines and are usually the first person a citizen deals with during a crisis…

Headset heroes are the first, first responders of Santa Rosa County (FL)

Public safety is one of the top priorities in Santa Rosa County and it’s easy to say that we have some of the best first responders in the state of Florida. But sometimes we forget about our first, first responders – 911 dispatchers. And what better time to talk about them than during the month of April when we celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

These unsung heroes of public safety put in thousands of hours each year responding to emergency calls, dispatching emergency professionals and equipment, and rendering life-saving assistance to the community. In 2021, Santa Rosa County dispatch, consisting of 18 full-time dispatchers, three substitute dispatchers and four management staff, had over 66,000 calls to 911…

Answering the call (OH)

Answering the call (OH)

Emergency/911 dispatchers serve as the first line of communication between those needing help and those who help them.

To those in need they are a faceless, calming voice on the other end of the phone. To the first responders they dispatch, they are the source of information when responding to incidences.

According to Lt. Melanie Appleman, Cambridge Ohio State Highway Patrol Post commander, National Public Safety Telecommunications Week observed each April recognizes the dispatchers…