In the heart of a bustling city lies the nerve center of emergency response: the 911 communications center. Here, a diverse team of dedicated operators, dispatchers, and supervisors work tirelessly around the clock to answer …
Ole Jim “Hurtin” Burton pulls his dust-covered Peterbilt into the Downtown Metered Lot deep in the late-September night. He’s been hauling a load all the way from Oxnard and all he has left is a …
Picture this: The scene is set, the lights are dimmed down low in the Emergency Communications Center. Along with a faint hum of the computers, always powered, always doing their job, comes a distinct murmur …
Sometimes, all you know about a movie ahead of time are the names and plot summaries of the films and maybe the actors. You might not know what is to come until you go into …
In February, APCO’s Member & Chapter Services Committee (MCSC) surveyed chapters about how they celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week. The survey included questions about financing NPSTW, theme days, gifts, public recognition and more. 29 …
Thank you to all who participated in the NPSTW 2023 contest “Who Is Your Sidekick or Super Team?” We loved reading so many compelling stories from our favorite superheroes. All of the entries demonstrated the …
What does a team of superheroes look like? Walk into the University Of Miami’s Public Safety Communications Command Center on any given day to find out. Slyly disguising themselves behind neatly pressed Class A shirts …
On Friday, April 22, 2022 at 3:20 in the afternoon, the Office of Unified Communications received 299 calls within minutes from teachers, students, parents, and those passing by reporting a shooting incident at the Edmund …
Have you ever had to run a 24/7 operation with only 3 people, well I have. Our agency was hit hard when COVID hit and we lost our main supervisor. I had to take his …
Caroline was my first training officer and then my partner when released. She has had my back since day 1 and pushed me to be the telecommunicator that I am now. She also played a …
Hello to all the dispatch community, I just want to acknowledge the best sidekicks ever, Trish and Jaclyn, who have dispatched solo for 2 years at Mount Rainier National Park. Rachel and I just started …
Our 4.5-person day-shift team (3 full timers, 1 almost out of training, and 1 O.G. ((Old Gal in someone’s words)) “retired” and works more hrs. than most 😊) is beyond FANTASTIC and we work together …
We’ve been A1 since day 1! She’s the peas to my carrots, the yin to my yang, and the Barnacle Boy to my Mermaid Man. There may be 10 years (and maybe a few months) …
We are truly family here in pueblo at the Sheriff’s office. Starting with the backbone our amazing comm center manager Shawna Clementi, she is the best manager to work under no questions asked. She cares …
The second full week of April is set aside as a time to express our thanks and appreciation for public safety telecommunicators around the country. For those of us called to public service, being acknowledged …
We are one of the largest counties in the state and field thousands and thousands of calls for service per year. Our dispatchers are constantly on top of where their troops are and their well …
As each year passes, Dispatch Centers everywhere continue to face a plethora of challenges including staff shortages. Our center is one of them. Throughout it all, my team has risen to every occasion! Not only …
I have been doing this job for 23 years and even though I absolutely love it, the reason why I have stayed it in for so long is because of the people by my side. …
My partner and I kill it every shift. She’s my best friend and awesome partner! We have over 37 years of experience between us with her carrying the heavy load of 28 years and thankfully …
St. Charles City Police Department Dispatch is the most super of super teams! Since being understaffed and over-worked, this team has dispatched for approximately 118 officers, jail staff, park rangers and animal control through the …
I love my crew I work with, they are not afraid to jump in and help you when you need help and they will check on you if you take a bad and they know …
Communications Training Officer [CTO] Marilyn Brawer is the radio dispatcher who I would trust with my life. She consistently exceeds expectations. CTO Brawer works every call as if it’s the only one going on at …
My night shifters squad always has my back! We can always read each other like a book and know when someone is in need of help. We are all willing to step up to the …
Our job is definitely not easy and can be extremely stressful, but knowing I have the BEST team behind me makes working shift so much easier. If anyone had told me 18 years ago that …
Bethany & Stephanie are 2 peas in a pod. They both began their careers in emergency dispatching at a Marine Corps Air Station in Japan. They quickly became the “A-team,”although a giggle jar had to …
While working midnight shifts can be exhausting, dead of the night boring and often times a real challenge to fake out the circadian clock, we have a terrific group of people who use humor, laughter …
After 20 years in the real estate business, I had no idea what I wanted to do… staying home was boring since the kids went to school. I knew I wanted to something I liked, …
We’ve heard it all before–screaming, cursing, background noises, and sometimes deafening silence–but one of our callers inadvertently gave a nickname that we cannot forget. Carol Easley began as a trainee in 2014. She took the …
As a component of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as a member of the US Armed Forces, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) carries out a myriad of statutory missions. The …
Happy Telecommunicators Week to an amazing group and to all Telecommunicators! Otero County Sheriff’s Office Telecommunications First Responder team of 13 serve their community in Alamogordo, New Mexico (In the middle of the desert in …
This group of people are my real life sidekicks!! I get the pleasure of working with them day in and day out! No matter what is going on everyone has each other’s backs. Each member …
When I started my career as a campus dispatcher 8 years ago this year, we had a staff of 7. Now we are down to 6 dispatchers with no part time positions. There are usually …
Let me tell you about my right hand (Wo)man. My partner in crime, fighting. My loyal, like minded (usually) work sister, Sabrina. Sabrina started a few years after me. Our first shift together I said …
TEAM A has been through many high priority situations this past year and each time they have worked flawlessly together! Chandra, Heather & Matt T : I enjoy working with my supervisors because they trust …
Working with my team buddy, Sarah Latzke, does not seem like work at all. She has helped me to further my career and growth and I could not have asked for any better friend to …
We will celebrate by providing breakfast or lunch each day of the week!
Our center in Oswego County, New York is made up of 4 dedicated teams of public service telecommunicators and dispatchers. They serve a community of nearly 117,500 people and cover 1,312 square miles. We have …
No one ever said this job would be easy, no one ever said this job would always be fun and rewarding, but this I do know when you have a great team it absolutely can …
We are the 3 stoonchies! Our officers call us petty employees and get a kick out of our entertaining personalities. We work in unison and as a well oiled machine. We do have indifferences of …
I would like to nominate my 911 staff as a Super Team! These individuals have consistently demonstrated a level of dedication and teamwork that is truly remarkable. Their tireless efforts have made a profound impact …
Charlotte came to our center 2 years ago and I knew right away we would mesh. She has always been a great listener, encourages me to do better, to not quit moving forward and has …
We are a small group of 10! We usually run 2 to a shift but could definitely use 4 on days and 3 on nights but with budgets and hiring issues we do with what …
His name is Victor and he is the sidekick of our Dispatch Team. Victor is our dispatch dog and he lives 24/7 in our communications center. Our Dispatch Center has experienced numerous disasters, traumatic calls …
The side kick(s) that always has my back no matter what even when I am having a bad day or just need to get away would have to be my twin Chihuahuas. I have been …
Cody has been thru four coordinators in the short year and a half. I am his fourth coordinator and want to commend Cody for his adaptability and positivity. Cody is helpful, always has a positive …
When I think of a sidekick, I think to myself that is someone who is there for you through thick and thin. The person I am nominating is someone I can go to with a …
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