Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class William Phillips | Sarah Leggate, an emergency dispatcher, answers a call during a shift April 1 on Naval...... read more read more
Each year, the second week of April is recognized as National Public Safety Telecommunicator’s Week. This week is a nationally-recognized opportunity for citizens and co-workers alike to show their appreciation for professionals in the field of Public Safety Communications. The week-long event was initiated in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County, Calif. Sheriff’s Office, but eventually grew to be nationally recognized. The public safety telecommunications group encompasses everyone involved from the first moment a call is connected to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), until help has physically arrived and the last line has been disconnected.
Naval Support Activity Bethesda’s (NSAB) Emergency Services Dispatch Center is a Federal Communications Commission-registered PSAP and is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. During 2015 alone, NSAB’s Dispatch Center staff answered and dispatched Fire & Emergency Medical Services (EMS) units to more than 2,240 fire, rescue, and medical call incidents, with even more calls requiring NSAB Police and security forces assistance and response.
“There is no measure to accurately describe the importance, that our telecommunication/emergency dispatchers provide us, day in and day out.” said Darryl C. Stanton Jr., NSAB chief of police. “Their contribution is the most integral part of the public safety foundation. Without their support and expertise, the emergency response process fails, our first responder’s lives would be in jeopardy and we would not be able to serve and protect our communities.”
Dispatch Center personnel are considered true ‘first responders.’ They are the first to respond to the needs of the public when they call in for assistance. Dispatch Center personnel project a calm demeanor to citizens and victims in distress. In high-stress situations, they are compassionate yet diligent in ascertaining important information necessary to provide to the responding units when time is of the essence. On NSAB, if you have ever dialed 7-7-7 to get help in an accident or an emergency, then a dispatcher has been on the phone to collect your information and get you help. A person who is a dispatcher must be patient, strong, understanding and work well under intense pressure or stressful situations.
“Dispatchers are critical members of the first responder community and they are the life blood of getting help to you when needed,” said John E. Gray III, district fire chief assigned to NSAB. “I rest easy at night knowing that our dispatchers are some of the best in the Navy, fielding the most emergency calls within Naval District Washington.”
Dispatchers are nationally certified through the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials and complete courses in public safety telecommunication, fire service communications, emergency medical dispatch and active shooter incidents for public safety communication.
Although their jobs do not put them in ‘harm’s way,’ dispatchers make critical life-saving decisions on a regular basis. They take great pride regarding the welfare of our community members and keeping the police officers, security forces and firefighters of NSAB safe. Coordinating helicopter landings for medical evacuations, dispatching police/fire and EMS units, sending Everbridge emergency notifications and monitoring security alarms are just a few of the various other tasks they manage on a daily basis. We rely on their knowledge and professionalism as they make critical decisions, obtain information, and quickly dispatch needed aid for any situation that may arise.
These dedicated men and women are more than anonymous voices on the telephone line or radio channels. These individuals work tirelessly to ensure that when others need help, someone answers the call.
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2016 09:34 |
| Story ID: | 194646 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 238 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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