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This week is National Telecommunicators Week! This week is set aside to recognize the 911 dispatchers for their hard work in assisting the public with any type of call that may require law enforcement, EMS or the fire department.
Starke County Sheriff’s Department Chief Dispatcher Stacy Noonan said a dispatcher’s role is very important.
“We take the calls from the public – non-emergency line as well as the 911 line. We are the first person you speak to and it could be your worst day. We talk to you and we talk you through it and we send the appropriate help at that time,” said Noonan.
There are nine full-time dispatchers at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department as well as a few part-time dispatchers to complete the roster. They work in 12-hour shifts every day of the year. Noonan said there is a lot of training that they go through to become a telecommunicator and it could take several months to be fully trained.
Noonan added, “You have to take an Emergency Medical Dispatch class and we have to recertify in that every two years where we have to have 24 hours of continuing education to get recertified, as well as an IDACS course and we have to recertify in that every two years as well.”
Dispatchers need to be ready for any type of situation and are trained to give emergency instructions over the phone until police or first responders get to the scene.
To help celebrate, Noonan said there will be games throughout the week for the Starke County dispatchers and other special recognition efforts. Sheriff Bill Dulin is expected to cook a meal for them one day this week.
National Telecommunicators Week ends Saturday, April 16.