Officer Needs Assistance
It was not “my officer” but his cries for help pierced my soul just the same. “I have been shot!” are four words no dispatcher ever wants to hear whether the officer is of their …
Helping Hand
I began my life venture on the private side of Public Safety for a gated community. We were sworn officer, first responder, convenience officer and the list goes on. I worked there for over 10 …
It Was Good to Know You
Early in my career, probably in 2004 or so I received a call from a man who lived in one of our unincorporated communities, I can no longer remember his name, but I will never …
Team Work
At approximately 1300 on June 7, 2016 we received a phone call from a very distressed young man who, along with two friends, were tubing on the Arkansas River in Pueblo County when their tube …
I Know My True North
I know my true North. We all have our own. The moral compass inside where our integrity pulls the needle to your true North. I have been a Dispatcher (no, I am not offended to …
Thunderbird Down
On June 2, 2016 the U.S. Air Force Academy was hosting the U.S. President for the 2016 commencement exercise and the Air Force Thunderbirds were in town for their flyover of the graduation ceremony. Beginning …
Two Year Old Having a Seizure
I was working day shift on Thursday August 4, 2016 at the Call Taker position for the Wood County Central Communications Center aka Wood County E911. I took a 911 call of a 2 year …
Suicidal Victim Gets Help
On December 20, 2016 at 10:15 a.m., Dispatcher Catie Guzman was on duty in the Communications Center for the University at Buffalo Police. The semester had just ended at UB and most of the students …
Guardian of the County
I have had the pleasure of being a 911 dispatcher for police, fire and rescue for a little over ten years. I have taken more calls then I could even begin to count; some good, …
More Than Just a “Paycheck Job”
In May of 2012, I started my career as a 911 Telecommunicator. When I walked into the police department on the morning of May 1st, I never knew how my life was going to change. …
The Communications Family
What means the most to me about being a Telecommunicator? I have thought and pondered this question since it was first posted, and every time I try to formulate an answer I keep changing my …
That’s What We Do
I have been working for our agency for 28 years. I started part time and worked my way to Director in 6 years. We are a very small county, everyone knows everyone else so almost …
Something More
September 11 2001, I sat and watched as our world changed as well as my view of the world, the blinders were off. The naïve idea that I was in control of my life and …
Baby not Breathing
It was 0715 on my last night shift right before I was getting off at 0730 of my last shift for 4 days. 911 line rang and I answer to hear a mother that told …
That Moment…
January 5, 2016, started out like any other day shift. Day was busy with calls coming in asking for every division within the department except for Dispatch. Detectives were running in and out of the …
Code Blue
I talked to you while you were home alone having a heart attack and couldn’t breathe. You quit talking to me before the paramedics arrived. I stayed on the line in case you had just …
Goodbye my friend
I was on duty when a call came in from a tower that was not in our jurisdiction. I answered the phone and a male said he wanted to report someone dead in their vehicle. …
Saving a Life
This occurred more than a decade ago. I received a call from a frightened, distraught woman. She purchased a pair of shoes that he husband disapproved of, either because she was not allowed to spend …
Keep Going
My name is Melissa and I am proud to say that I have served in Public Safety for 22 years. Some good times and some very hard times. Comparing the present to the past there …
The Dispatcher’s Burden
I started my career as a 911 dispatcher my freshman year of college in 2010. At the time it was just a way for me to make a living but turned into more than I …
My Communications Officers Are Amazing People
I have been a communications officer for almost 12 years. I began at a local sheriff’s office and then transferred over to the State Patrol in 2007. I was promoted in 2014 to Communications Supervisor. …
Just Today
So many of the stories over the years you think you will remember, just seem to blend into each other because what we do is just a day at work. We only dispatch LE so …
I Just Like Your Voice
It was a mid-December evening, around dinner time, when I answered a 911 call. Never knowing what’s going to be on the other end of the line when answering can be stressful at times – …
Thank You for Sharing Your Stories From the Frontline
APCO’s request for telecommunicator’s stories to publish on this site yielded more than 50 entries and a wide variety of submissions – intense, amusing, heartbreaking … and all true. We express our gratitude to all …
Rep. Norma Torres Introduces NPSTW Resolution,
Speaks About Honoring Telecommunicators
On April 13, 2016, United States Representative Norma Torres (35th Dist. Calif.), herself a 9-1-1 dispatcher before entering politics, introduced a resolution on National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. “After 17-1/2 years as a 911 dispatcher, I know firsthand …
How we celebrate NPSTW @ UKPD
This year we chose to honor our Telecommunicators by having a giant banner that says “We Appreciate You” and we had everyone in the department write a note expressing their thanks. There were also baked …
Telecommunicators, NPSTW Are Big News
This month, more than 300 newspapers have written about NPSTW and the recognition due public safety telecommunicators for their demanding and generally unseen role in emergency response. Browse the still growing list to see the multitude …
Dedication and Recognition Countywide.
Putnam County WV 911 Telecommunicators were recognized for their hard work and dedication. The County Commission and the City of Hurricane signed Proclamations acknowledging National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Putnam County, WV.
Kern County NPSTW 2016
This year at our center, located in Bakersfield California, we are having a blast ! Each shift has participated in a dress up contest including support your sports and Patriotic day. At the end of …
911 What Is Your Emergency?
Please click the link and watch Shreveport Fire Department Communications Division in action. Black Helmet Films, producer of the “Another 24” mini-series about the life of firefighters, has put together a new video to showcase …
Dispatch Appreciation Week 2016
This year we gave our staff years of service pins for 5 or more years of service. We put 4 bags with gift certificates attached to the bags, and each dispatcher put a ticket in …
A Week of Appreciation and Food
Generally it is a week of appreciation and FOOD! Our Fire and EMS agencies along with our administrative staff provide a lunch or dinner for each shift every day of the week. Command Staff from …
City of Burlington Proclamation April 10 – 16 as PST Week
Fire Public Safety Telecommunications staff were invited to the April 11th City of Burlington Council Meeting where the Mayor read a proclamation to Council and attendees (also webcast) proclaiming Apr. 10 – 16 as Public …
A Special Week
This has been a special week for staff – on Monday the Fire Marshal’s office dropped off 3 foot sandwiches for each shift (with chips and drink) – on Wednesday the Police Chief had an …
Recognition, Good Wishes and Appreciation on Twitter
Read what agencies and individuals around the world are saying to and about public safety telecommunicators in honor of NPSTW 2016, and use hashtag #nsptw to voice your own thoughts. [fts_twitter search=#npstw%20-RT +exclude:retweets exclude=retweets twitter_height=1200 …
No Uniforms All Week
We are fortunate enough to work for a Department that is allowing us, ALL WEEK, with no uniform. Each day is a designated theme and today for us is sports day! As you can see, …
Franklin County PA NPSTW
Attached you will find a picture of a few of the dispatch staff from Franklin County, PA Department of Emergency Services. On the left is Megan Ruby, dispatch liaison from our regional EMS governing body, …
Reason Enough to Feel Like A Hero
I began my career in law enforcement in 1986 at age 19 as a dispatcher. I spent many years on the night shift and the evening shift and finally the day shift behind the radio …
The Promise
I have been a dispatcher with the Birmingham Police Department for more than 17 years. I began my career on the 3-11 shift and what an exciting ride it was. I received a call about …
My Memories of 9/11/01
As part of Arlington Public Library’s commemoration of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, we conducted a series of interviews with first responders and others to share their stories and memories of that time. Jennifer Meyers …
Why I Love What I Do
I originally applied to be a Communications Officer because I wanted a foot in the door to the Public-Safety community. Little did I know, it would be a career I fell in love with. The …
Why I Am a Dispatcher
I have always wanted to be involved in law enforcement ever since I was a young child. I started my career in dispatching July 25, 2005 when I was hired part time at Edinburgh Police …
Save the Ice Cream
At the time, I was working at White Settlement Pd. The electricity was out for part of the city due to a big storm passing through. An elderly lady called wanting to know when the …
A Message from APCO’s President
Since I became your APCO president in August 2015, I have been talking about the importance of WE and I can’t think of a better time to reinforce that than during National Public Safety Telecommunicators …
A Life-Changing Call
(Recording of a 9-1-1 call in which a dispatcher guided a husband through CPR on his wife, who had collapsed.) I can’t tell you much I love my job and the amazing feeling I had …
Game Ideas for NPSTW
In the past we had played a few fun games that everyone seemed to enjoy. We have had a jar of different kind of M&M’s with money hidden in a Ziploc bag inside. Whomever came …
Remembering Why …
It seems that every day at work is the same old same old. I used to believe I was making a difference. Now lately it’s just been doing my job. It’s what I’m supposed to …
Because We Have the Answers
It was April 27th in the year 2000. I applied for a job where my only personal knowledge consisted of what happened on television. My trainer was a seasoned veteran who would soon retire. She …
Why I Am a Dispatcher and Still Doing It
I began my dispatching career in Alliance, Nebraska in 1975. Working for the Alliance Police Department as a dispatcher/matron. I worked for them for 2 years and then my family became more important so I …
Telling Our Story
I didn’t plan to become a dispatcher. Like so many of my fellow brothers and sisters, I fell into the job as a back-up for the regular dispatcher when I was working as an EMT. …
We Matter, We Save Lives
Every morning people wake up to get their day started. Ready to conquer their work day. Ready to complete the work load they already know they have ahead. As a 9-1-1 dispatcher we get up …
A Family, A Friend, A Co-Worker and A Life Saver
911 dispatch has been a part of my life since I was 23 years old, starting in the field in 2004. I started my career not knowing anything about this job or how it was …
Not Like Every Day
That day that starts like every day. 911 calls, non-emergency calls, dispatching units, running names and vehicles, entering, locating, clearing, repeat, just like every day. Until that call comes in that says that all available …
Why I Am a Public Safety Telecommunicator
My journey to be a public safety telecommunicator has been very different than most telecommunicators. I started as a police/fire dispatcher in northeast Indiana in the late 70s. There was no CAD, no 9-1-1, only …
A Day in the Life: My Story
My story is words. Words that alone are meaningless, but together, make up the very essence of my being. Words that changed me from the core, and have made me who I am. These words are …
January 8, 2011 – The True “First” Responders
It was one of those “once in a lifetime” events during your career that you pray will never be repeated. Even more than 5 years later I remember that day like it was yesterday. The …
An Unusual 911 Call
This happened while I was working as a dispatcher for the Washington County Sheriffs Office in Blair, Nebraska. One morning I received a 911 call from a 12-year-old who said she was taking a bubble …
It’s a BOY!
January 29th, 2015 started out in the dispatch center like any other day. We arrived at 0600 to start the shift, and settled in for the next 12 hours. At approximately 0830 Dispatcher Enloe answered …
Just When You Think You Have Heard It All
This year marks my 20th year in 9-1-1. I am a tenured dispatcher that still LOVES answering phones. For me, it is a reminder that no matter what is going on in my life, someone …
911 Dispatch – A Newbie’s Journey
This is a story of 18 weeks of 911 dispatcher training. My hope is to inspire more potential dispatchers, enlighten trainers and bring hope to those already into training. I will hit my 2 year …
Unexpected Negotiations
I started my career as a 911/police dispatcher in 1998 at the Salt Lake City Police Dept. I grew up listening to my mom’s scanner and felt extra covert special because I had learned the …
The Reason I’m a Public Safety Communicator
With my father being an EMT and firefighter and my mother a phone operator I knew I wanted a career where I too could make a difference and help others. I love the adrenalin rush …
