This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week! It is a time to recognize the unsung heroes of public safety who work at Dispatch Centers and answer your call in a time of emergency or other public safety need.
Telecommunicators, or dispatchers, operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These are the men and women who collect the initial information and pass it along to the first responders in the field. Often, they are able to give immediate lifesaving directions to the caller during medical emergencies or can be the calming voice to reassure the victim of a violent crime that help is on the way.
Chief Dispatcher Stacy Noonan from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office describes the duties of a dispatcher.
“As dispatchers, we receive calls and obtain information from people in need of assistance and we dispatch the appropriate units,” explained Noonan. “Here at the Sheriff’s Office we are considered Central Dispatch and we dispatch for police, fire and EMS. We enter any kind of warrants and answer any non-emergency phone calls as well. I would consider us problem solvers or puzzle solvers. Callers are sometimes unsure how much information is necessary or they don’t know how to relay it in a crisis. As a dispatcher, we have to be able to read between the lines or ask specific questions to get the answers needed to dispatch the correct agency.”
She noted that a dispatcher’s work is highly demanding.
Currently at the Starke County Sheriff’s Office, there are 10 full-time dispatchers, including Noonan, with a combined total of 79 years of experience. One dispatcher has worked with the Starke County Dispatch Center for 34 years.
Noonan noted that there will be games throughout the week for the dispatchers. Several local businesses donated items for prizes.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is also celebrating this week. Sheriff Chris Schramm invites all to visit the Sheriff’s Department Facebook page to meet all of the dispatchers that take your important call during your time of need.
