Dispatchers/telecommunicators are the first, first responders. April 10 is the start of 2022 National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
Every year during the second week of April, the telecommunicators personnel in the public safety community are honored. It is a time to celebrate and thank those who dedicate their lives to serving the public.
It is a week that is set aside so everyone can be made aware of law enforcement’s telecommunication staff’s hard work and dedication.
To that end, Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office will join a growing number of agencies to formally change the career title from “dispatcher” to “9-1-1 telecommunicator” and change “‘dispatch center” to “emergency communications center.”
This is a state and nationwide effort.
When I began my law enforcement career, I had an opportunity to get three months training as a dispatcher in a big city (1980). This was a tough job: sorting through calls, understanding the problem, calming people down, getting the right people to the scene, keeping everyone up to the minute and, most important, keeping people safe.
That experience gave me a deeper level of appreciation for the work that 911 telecommunicators do. If you know a 911 telecommunicator, please thank them for their skill, dedication and service.
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