National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week will be celebrated April 11-17. This week honors telecommunications (911 dispatchers) who are the first link in the chain of emergency police, fire, and medical responses to those in need.
If you have ever been a victim or witness to a crime, involved in a motor vehicle crash, reported a fire, or needed emergency medical assistance, you most likely have called 9-1-1. The reassuring voice who answered that 911 call was a “Telecommunicator,” also more commonly known as a Public Safety/911 Dispatcher.
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week began in California in 1981 and quickly grew to a nationally recognized event. In 1990, the United States Congress designated the second full week of April each year as a time to remember the critical role dispatcher are tasked with in keeping communities and citizens safe.
On April 6, the Polk County Board of Commissioners signed a proclamation recognizing the important service Polk County Dispatchers provide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is a valid reason these folks on the other end of 9-1-1 calls and policed radios are referred to as the “life-line.” They truly are the imperative conduit between those who call for help and delivering that help. During the week of April 11-17, please join the Polk County Board of Commissioners along with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in recognizing the critical work and services the Polk County Dispatchers provide.
