Thursday, March 28, 2024

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

The week of April 10-16, 2016 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and it’s the perfect time to say “Thank you” to our 9-1-1 Dispatchers.  All of the dispatchers, who work at our joint emergency Northeast Tarrant Communications Center (NETCOM) located in Keller, are some of the best in the business. They provide the highest quality customer service to the citizens of Southlake, Keller, Westlake and Colleyville as well as handling other multi-agency calls for assistance. Dispatch Appreciation - 2016

The work of a 9-1-1 dispatcher is not an easy task and these professionals know, all too well, how critical it is to remain calm, cool and collected when dealing with an ever-changing situation or a potential life or death crisis. Some might say they have amazing superpowers that allow them to ‘take chaos and turn it into calm.’

DSC_0396They work twelve-hour shifts and handle hundreds of calls each day. Almost every 9-1-1 call requires them to listen to an anxious caller, take in all the critical information, and type it into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, all while relaying the information to Firefighters and Police Officers who are racing to the emergency. Police Chief James Brandon says, “9-1-1 dispatchers know how critical it is to get vital information from a frantic caller while relaying it accurately to responding officers without delays or errors.”

It really takes a special individual to do what they do on a daily basis. It would be a lot of stress and pressure for the average person but these folks thrive in this atmosphere. It’s truly what they love doing.  They are passionate about their careers and they treat every person they talk to with compassion and professionalism. “You can rest assured when you call 9-1-1 you will not only get the best customer service around but you will know that the person on the other end of the call really cares about helping you and your family in your time of need,” says Fire Chief Mike Starr.

The 9-1-1 dispatchers are a great group of people. These men and women often work holidays, anniversaries, birthdays’ etc. helping to make sure the public is safe. National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is a perfect time to say how much we appreciate all of these caring and compassionate individuals who do an outstanding job every day in a very demanding career.

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