National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week | 04.12.2007 | 07:34:33 | Views: 6369 | ID: April 12 '07: The second full week in April is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. The week, honoring those in the emergency response industry who are instrumental in sending the right and timely information to those in the field, was mandated by Congress in 1994 after several states, prompted by California, began to recognize the responders' efforts. In California, the Contra Costa Times reported that the behind-the-scenes efforts of police dispatchers are integral to response calls in communities. "Dispatchers at the department take more than law enforcement calls; residents call the police business line - which also leads to their lines - when they don't know which city or private agency to call." Pleasanton, California police dispatch and records supervisor Margaret Mary Goulart told the Contra Costa Times, "It's a very technical, demanding type of position. ... They are first responders, in a sense. They listen, they decipher, thy determine what's going on." In Moore, Oklahoma city officials are holding several events to honor dispatchers, while in Pontiac, Michigan officials said the services dispatchers provide is invaluable to helping those in the field understand the situation before they arrive.
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