Honoring unsung heroes for National Telecommunicator Week (ME)

Honoring unsung heroes for National Telecommunicator Week (ME)

CONWAY — Chances are you may not recognize any of the Conway Police Department’s dispatchers, but if they spoke, you’d probably recognize their voices. These are the unsung heroes in our communities — the calm voice on the other end of the phone when people are often in their most dire moments and need immediate help.

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week runs through this Saturday. First created by dispatcher Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California in 1981 and then proclaimed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 to set the second week of April as NPSTW…

Ready for the future with newly renovated Emergency Communication Centre in Red Deer (Canada)

Ready for the future with newly renovated Emergency Communication Centre in Red Deer (Canada)

911 and fire dispatchers at the Emergency Communication Centre in Red Deer have settled into their new bright and airy dispatch centre after a 10-month renovation project.

This week is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week to recognize emergency dispatchers across Canada, including those Red Deer dispatchers who serve 430,000 people in central and southern Alberta at one of the province’s primary emergency communication centres.

Matt White, assistant deputy chief with Red Deer Emergency Services, said dispatchers need to be able to work under pressure, like last Saturday when there were three fires in Red Deer, including two structure fires at the same time…

Weathering the storm: Dispatchers fielding the increased calls for help during inclement weather (UT)

SALT LAKE CITY — Emergency dispatchers honored as the first, first responders

As a crucial member of the public safety community, 9-1-1 dispatchers are honored each year during ‘National Telecommunicators Week’.

During inclement weather, dispatchers serve an even greater purpose.

“Our workload, the stress level, everything increases exponentially when we have poor weather,” said Joe Faiola, Communications Manager at the Salt Lake Communications Center. “I would say that it (calls) at least triples if not quadruples on a bad storm day… READ MORE

Charlotte dispatchers discuss their jobs (NC)

Charlotte dispatchers discuss their jobs (NC)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The week of April 11, 2022 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. The name is long, but it’s all about honoring the people who dispatch police, fire, and medical services to people in need when 911 is called.

Emergency calls involve a lot of people, from the person asking for help to the first responders on the scene. Part of those responding are the emergency dispatchers who first take the call. That job isn’t just answering the phone and directing people; dispatchers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department say it’s always personal…

Bill to designate 911 dispatchers as first responders awaits Governor Ivey’s signature (AL)

A bill that would designate public safety telecommunicators as first responders passed the Alabama Legislature and now awaits Governor Kay Ivey’s signature.

911 dispatchers have long been classified as clerks, but the days of simply taking a call and passing it along are long over. Some dispatchers are even trained to give immediate life-saving medical instruction to callers… READ MORE

Celebrating and honoring Lucas County dispatchers for National Public Safety Week (OH)

Celebrating and honoring Lucas County dispatchers for National Public Safety Week (OH)

TOLEDO, Ohio — Most of the time, when you call 911, it will be a stranger on the line helping with your emergency and in Lucas County, all of the dispatchers are under one roof.

For National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, WTOL 11 wanted to see first-hand what a dispatcher’s day looks like.

Back in October, all eight of Lucas County’s regional 911 call centers were consolidated into one central hub and since then, the phones have been ringing non-stop…