Washington County proclaims National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, highlights dispatcher workload

The Washington County Board of Supervisors on an announced agenda item issued a proclamation declaring National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and invited communications staff to speak about the county dispatch operation.

The proclamation recognized the county’s communications staff as “the voices in the dark” and noted the center’s workload. Tim, a communications staff member, told the board that last year the communications center processed “over 22,000 nine-one-one calls, 14,000 telephone calls,” and managed “over 77,000 incidents and activities of all types.”

Why it matters: County dispatchers are the first public-safety contact for residents during emergencies and manage multiple radio and telephone lines while coordinating first responders. Supervisors emphasized the dispatchers’ role in public safety and invited communications training officers who were present for the proclamation.

Board remarks and recognition noted that the communications division is small in staff but large in impact. Tim said operations have evolved from “answering a phone and taking some notes” to handling many radio resources and after-hours contacts for municipal services.

The board also acknowledged two communications training officers who attended the meeting, William Brown and Andrew Call, and encouraged the public to recognize the county dispatchers’ work during the week established by the proclamation.

The meeting placed the proclamation near the start of the business agenda and followed with routine proceedings and the remainder of the board’s calendar.