National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is April 11-17

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Back row (l-r): Deputy Marie Downs (4 months), Deputy Kelly Schmitz (3 years), Deputy Tara Strey (10 years), Deputy Heather Murphy (20 years), and Captain Lea Sterry (18 years). Front row (l-r): Deputy Stephanie Werre (2 months) and Deputy Tabitha Sazama (5 years).

OnFocus – This week is the nationally recognized Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. The week is used to recognize dispatchers across the nation who help locate emergencies and disperse services to these areas.

The week was originally created in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office shared a post that showed their dispatchers that help deal with emergencies and laid out the skills required to survive in that lifestyle.

Clark County Sherrif's Department Dispatchers
From left to right: Deputy Ciera Federly (1 year), Deputy Stephanie Bieneck (22 years), Deputy Tammy Cook (3 years), Deputy Marissa Scheffler (5 years), Captain Lea Sterry (18 years) and Deputy Tasha Davis (6 years).

“This profession plays an integral role in serving and keeping our community safe,” the post said. “These are the individuals we depend on during traumatic and emergency situations. The distinctive characteristics needed to proficiently and effectively perform these duties are found in very few. It requires an individual who has unprecedented communication skills, sound judgement, compassion and emotional control.”

The post went on to thank the dispatchers for their work and attitude despite working in a stressful occupation.

“I want to take a moment to thank our Clark County Telecommunicators for providing never ending, around the clock support to all of our citizens and anyone traveling through our county,” the post said. “I thank them for the lives they have saved and will continue save. For the positive impact they have on our county each and every day. And for choosing this profession as there are very few in the world that can do what they do! I am proud and honored to work with each and every one of them.”

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News Desk
Author: News Desk