The City of Cambridge Emergency Communications Department is celebrating this year’s National Telecommunicators Week April 11-17 in honor of its dedicated dispatchers who constitute the community’s first point of contact in an emergency and handle several thousand 9-1-1 calls each month.“Our Emergency Telecommunications Dispatchers (ETD) staff the City of Cambridge’s 911 Call Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year,” said Christina Giacobbe, Director of Emergency Communications and 911 for the City of Cambridge. “They work overnights and on holidays, rain or shine, to ensure the safety of the people of Cambridge. They are always prepared to assist callers in a wide range of emergencies with care and compassion.” Throughout the pandemic, ETD’s have been required to screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms utilizing the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Protocol. The Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) tool was utilized to identify patients with COVID-19 symptoms to assist first responders in preparing for patient care in the field, as well as monitoring trends in calls for service related to the pandemic. Cambridge ETD’s screened over 1,200 calls for COVID-19 symptoms, responded to social distancing violations, and provided residents with information to safeguard them from exposure to the virus. These duties were added to staff’s day-to-day duties and responsibilities associated with supporting Police, Fire and EMS operations. “Our ETD’s are second to none and have our sincerest gratitude for their hard work this past year during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. “In appreciation of their dedication to their important roll, we are recognizing all Emergency Telecommunications Dispatchers and EC Supervisors as the 2021 Dispatchers of the Year.” In 1991, the United States Congress proclaimed the second week in April to be National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. This weeklong event was the first formalized celebration on a national scale of the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators. Each year, the event is promoted nationwide by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), whose efforts helped to bring about the recognition of public safety telecommunicators, colloquially known as “dispatchers.” Has 911 Helped You? Give thanks to the heroes of 911 and share your story by using the hashtag #ThankYou911 and tagging @CambMA on social media and/or send it along to 911info@cambridge911.org. You can also follow us on Instagram @cambridgema911. To help themselves and aid dispatchers, residents are encouraged to create an Emergency Health Profile to share critical data in an emergency. With a registered profile, the City’s 911 Emergency Communications Center can provide vital medical information to first responders. To ensure data privacy, the opt-in medical information associated with an individual’s phone number is only made available to first responders when a 911 call is placed from the registered user’s phone number. Learn more at emergencyprofile.org.

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