Title
Proclamation for National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week 2019.
Body
Summary:
The second full week in April is designated National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week by Congress to recognize the behind the scenes telecommunicators, otherwise known as dispatchers. Congressional representatives continue to honor the profession today with bipartisan support for grassroots initiative 911 SAVES (Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services). This initiative aims to recognize 9-1-1 professionals for the lifesaving work they perform by reclassifying them from administrative personnel to protective services at the federal level.
Telecommunicators are recognized as the, "first, first responders," by industry professionals. Telecommunicators may positively affect the outcome of an emergency by being the first emergency service provider to manage the incident remotely, if not in person.
Ten Telecommunicators, 2 Telecommunicators in training and 1 Communications Supervisor staff the Deer Park Police Department's Communications Unit. Training requires each candidate to demonstrate superior multi-tasking abilities, quickly acquire dispatch specific skill sets, problem solve during potential life and death situations and learn enough about law enforcement, firefighting and medical services to efficiently and accurately dispatch each discipline.
Telecommunicators are responsible for many duties including, but not limited to:
* High level, public safety specific, processing of non-emergency and 9-1-1 phone calls
* Using next generation 9-1-1 technology to determine emergency locations when the caller is uncertain of, or unable to, communicate their whereabouts
* Radio dispatching of police, fire, EMS and after hour city services
* Launching emergency alerts via the siren system, school alert system and CodeRED phone calls for tornados and chemical releases
* Delivering pre-arrival medical and safety instructions to callers
* Providing for the safety of p...
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