Second week of April is National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is held annually during the second week of April to honor public safety telecommunicators for their service.

Kelsey Saldiveri has been a dispatcher for three years at the Emergency Operation Center in the Kiln. She answers emergency calls and addresses problems and requests by transmitting information or providing solutions sometimes involving emergency personnel. “It’s an adrenaline rush. I do, that helps me think clearly, helps me decide which units are going out to help this person and it feels like time just slows down. I’m able to think clearly and figure out the next step.”

It is definitely not an easy job. A dispatcher must be willing to think fast and multi-task while operating multiple computer screens. On top of working in an environment that could be stressful, especially not knowing what you’re going to hear when you answer a call. “When people call in an emergency situation they are panicked. They forget where they are and they are in a rush to give us the smallest details. It does help if they know where they are, where they need an officer, or medical sent to them.”

Dispatch Coordinator Alicia Stanton said, “This job is for someone that is serious, that wants to take people’s lives and help them. It’s something you have to be dedicated for. Something that you have to want to come in here and do. It’s not a job that you can just say I’m going to go in and get a paycheck.”

You never know how many lives could have been lost due to untimely assistance if it weren’t for dispatchers. So, throughout this week, we thank those who serve in this demanding profession.