Rockport PD dispatchers honored as the community’s ‘first first responders’
When a frantic caller contacts the City of Rockport’s Public Safety Communications Center, the first voice they hear isn’t from a police officer.
For Mark Lallak, the evolution of 911 is personal. He watched it happen in real time from behind the dispatch console.
When Lallak was working as a 911 telecommunicator in the ’90s, most calls came from landlines. Because the phone numbers were associated with fixed locations, dispatchers had a name and address associated with each phone number. If someone called in, first responders almost always knew where they needed to go.
Then as cell phones emerged, everything changed.
The City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) is celebrating National 9-1-1 Education Month to honor the outstanding contributions of the City’s 9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers. Additionally, OEMC will celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12-18 and will hold the annual employee Awards Ceremony on April 16.
An emergency communications system used by several small towns across northern Massachusetts was impacted by a cyberattack that began on Tuesday.
The Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management (YCOEM) today announced its observance of April as Emergency Communications Month, a national initiative that highlights the critical role reliable communication plays before, during, and after emergencies and disasters. This year’s campaign encourages Yavapai County residents, families, and businesses to take proactive steps to develop and strengthen their personal emergency communication plans.
