National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week April 10 - 16, 2016

WICOMICO COUNTY, MD – This week is when the nation recognizes the dedicated men and women who answer Americans’ calls for help at 911 centers across the country. These call takers and dispatchers provide the first critical contact for those in need of emergency services. In the midst of crises, they obtain vital information from callers in order to link them rapidly to police, firefighters, and emergency medical responders – and at times even dispense vital, lifesaving information themselves. 

The Wicomico County Department of Emergency Services (DES) is celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunications Week to recognize the DES 911 call takers/dispatchers who work behind the scenes to answer calls for help every day. 

The DES employs are highly trained and dedicated 911 call takers/dispatchers and the citizens and visitors of Wicomico County are the beneficiaries of their outstanding service. DES 911 call takers/dispatchers are on duty 24 hours a day, every day of the year. They work all holidays and often miss special occasions with their families. They help protect lives and property by receiving vital information and dispatching medical professionals, and fire personnel to provide direct assistance to the public. The men and women of the DES Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) are rarely seen. They are the voices who answer 911 calls and nonemergency phone lines. These men and women are in effect, first responders to each and every emergency situation in our community. They ask questions about the situation and attempt to determine risk factors that responding emergency personnel might face when they arrive on the scene. In a sense, they are a lifeline not just for the citizens in need, but firefighters and medical professionals who handle the calls. 

The critical role played by the 911 call takers/dispatchers across the nation, and within Wicomico County is often underestimated. The work these dedicated men and women perform and the skills they demonstrate clearly enhance the safety of everyone in our community. It is appropriate that they are publicly recognized for what they do and how they do it.