Amy Gilliland wasn’t even supposed to be working that day. She swapped shifts with another Marblehead dispatcher who needed the day off. Then came the 9-1-1 call she will never forget. “I answer the call, but no one's talking,” Gilliland remembers. “I look up the...

When Katherine Wargo picks up the phone at work, she never knows exactly what's on the other end of the call. But there is one thing she can count on: The caller is experiencing one of the most difficult moments of their life. "They're seeing things that they never...

A Louisiana woman working as a 911 dispatcher was arrested after she allegedly refused to return $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her bank account, KNOE8 News reported Monday. Kelyn Spadoni, 33, was terminated by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office...

The transition of Osawatomie’s 911 dispatch services to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office has received a ringing endorsement. County commissioners approved expanding the Miami County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division dispatch staff to handle the additional call...

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.

NEW RIVER VALLEY, Va. – You won’t see people like Dan Hobbes at the scene of an emergency, but he’s the first to answer the call for help. He’s a dispatcher at the City of Roanoke E-911 Center. After leaving the U.S. Navy 3.5 years ago, he was still called to serve....

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Currently, residents are able listen to Santa Clara police radios, but that will change by the end of April, police said Wednesday. This week, Santa Clara police said they will be transitioning to encrypted police radio channels by April 26 so...

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The discussion about the funding and potential future of 911 services and its funding continued Monday during the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors meeting. “The conversation is getting more intense as we go along,” said Mark Groenendyk, chair of...

Police Chief Robert Bongiorno and Fire Chief David Grunes wish to recognize the town’s emergency communications officers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. During the week of April 11-17, public safety agencies take time to reflect on the critical...

COEUR d’ALENE — They are commonly known as dispatchers. But emergency communications officers is more accurate. And Idaho State Police Sgt. Allen Ashby has an even better title for them: “Unsung heroes.” “We have the best,” he said Friday at ISP headquarters on Wilbur...

The city council recognizes the necessity and importance of the Public Safety Facility project, City of St. Helens Communications Officer Crystal King stated is a prepared statement following the Wednesday night, April 7, council meeting. The necessity was further...

This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. It’s a week to honor public safety communications officers in E-911 centers. The City of Roanoke will recognize dispatchers throughout the week. Roanoke’s dispatchers handle more than 275,000 calls a year. In...

The city of Cincinnati will pay $6 million and commit to longterm improvements for its Emergency Call Center to settle a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of Kyle Plush, a 16-year-old who suffocated in the back seat of his own van despite making multiple 911...