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 that I could protect and shelter my children from evil was shattered. I was 19 …
It was 0715 on my last night shift right before I was getting off at 0730 of my last shift for 4 …
January 5, 2016, started out like any other day shift. Day was busy with calls coming in asking for every division within …
I talked to you while you were home alone having a heart attack and couldn’t breathe. You quit talking to me before …
I was on duty when a call came in from a tower that was not in our jurisdiction. I answered the phone …
This occurred more than a decade ago. I received a call from a frightened, distraught woman. She purchased a pair of shoes …
My name is Melissa and I am proud to say that I have served in Public Safety for 22 years. Some good …
I started my career as a 911 dispatcher my freshman year of college in 2010. At the time it was just a …
I have been a communications officer for almost 12 years. I began at a local sheriff’s office and then transferred over to …
So many of the stories over the years you think you will remember, just seem to blend into each other because what …
It was a mid-December evening, around dinner time, when I answered a 911 call. Never knowing what’s going to be on the …
APCO’s request for telecommunicator’s stories to publish on this site yielded more than 50 entries and a wide variety of submissions – …
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 …
This year we chose to honor our Telecommunicators by having a giant banner that says “We Appreciate You” and we had everyone …
This month, more than 300 newspapers have written about NPSTW and the recognition due public safety telecommunicators for their demanding and generally …
Putnam County WV 911 Telecommunicators were recognized for their hard work and dedication. The County Commission and the City of Hurricane signed …
This year at our center, located in Bakersfield California, we are having a blast ! Each shift has participated in a dress …
Please click the link and watch Shreveport Fire Department Communications Division in action. Black Helmet Films, producer of the “Another 24” mini-series …
This year we gave our staff years of service pins for 5 or more years of service. We put 4 bags with …
Generally it is a week of appreciation and FOOD! Our Fire and EMS agencies along with our administrative staff provide a lunch …
Fire Public Safety Telecommunications staff were invited to the April 11th City of Burlington Council Meeting where the Mayor read a proclamation …
This has been a special week for staff – on Monday the Fire Marshal’s office dropped off 3 foot sandwiches for each …
Read what agencies and individuals around the world are saying to and about public safety telecommunicators in honor of NPSTW 2016, and …
We are fortunate enough to work for a Department that is allowing us, ALL WEEK, with no uniform. Each day is a …
Attached you will find a picture of a few of the dispatch staff from Franklin County, PA Department of Emergency Services. On …
I began my career in law enforcement in 1986 at age 19 as a dispatcher. I spent many years on the night …
I have been a dispatcher with the Birmingham Police Department for more than 17 years. I began my career on the 3-11 …
As part of Arlington Public Library’s commemoration of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, we conducted a series of interviews with first responders …
I originally applied to be a Communications Officer because I wanted a foot in the door to the Public-Safety community. Little did …
I have always wanted to be involved in law enforcement ever since I was a young child. I started my career in …
At the time, I was working at White Settlement Pd. The electricity was out for part of the city due to a …
Since I became your APCO president in August 2015, I have been talking about the importance of WE and I can’t think …
(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 …
In the past we had played a few fun games that everyone seemed to enjoy. We have had a jar of different …
It seems that every day at work is the same old same old. I used to believe I was making a difference. …
It was April 27th in the year 2000. I applied for a job where my only personal knowledge consisted of what happened …
I began my dispatching career in Alliance, Nebraska in 1975. Working for the Alliance Police Department as a dispatcher/matron. I worked for …
I didn’t plan to become a dispatcher. Like so many of my fellow brothers and sisters, I fell into the job as …
Every morning people wake up to get their day started. Ready to conquer their work day. Ready to complete the work load …
911 dispatch has been a part of my life since I was 23 years old, starting in the field in 2004. I …
That day that starts like every day. 911 calls, non-emergency calls, dispatching units, running names and vehicles, entering, locating, clearing, repeat, just …
My journey to be a public safety telecommunicator has been very different than most telecommunicators. I started as a police/fire dispatcher in …
My story is words. Words that alone are meaningless, but together, make up the very essence of my being. Words that changed me …
It was one of those “once in a lifetime” events during your career that you pray will never be repeated. Even more …
This happened while I was working as a dispatcher for the Washington County Sheriffs Office in Blair, Nebraska. One morning I received …
January 29th, 2015 started out in the dispatch center like any other day. We arrived at 0600 to start the shift, and …
This year marks my 20th year in 9-1-1. I am a tenured dispatcher that still LOVES answering phones. For me, it is …
This is a story of 18 weeks of 911 dispatcher training. My hope is to inspire more potential dispatchers, enlighten trainers and …
I started my career as a 911/police dispatcher in 1998 at the Salt Lake City Police Dept. I grew up listening to …
With my father being an EMT and firefighter and my mother a phone operator I knew I wanted a career where I …
On 04/21/97, I began my journey as a public servant with the Shreveport Fire Department. Our agency is the primary PSAP and …
I began my career as a 911 dispatcher just about six years ago. Four short months into my career I heard my …
As the person really behind (and under and inside) a console… I’m one of the people that 911 calls when they have …
The first thing he said when I answered the phone was, “I just shot myself in the heart.” Given that he was …
My name is Wesley Hutchens and I have worked with Forsyth County 911 since May 2000 when I was hired as 911 …
Roughly six months ago I was working a radio when I was notified by a call taker that she received a 911 …
I started with Bridgeton PD in September of 1978 as a police dispatcher. I had no previous experience dispatching and was pretty …
I began my career as a 911 telecommunicator in March 2012, after 4 years of working in emergency medical services. At the …
We host a week of events. Mon-Fri we do “spirit week” and I pick a different theme for each day. We obtain …
I was sitting at the police console that dispatches for 4 cities including Black Diamond, Wash. on a Sunday morning. Black Diamond …
Our center is looking at doing a friendly cook-off competition with other local center. We do not have a commercial kitchen and …
I know the phrase “everybody has got one.” These are just my thoughts and not intended to offend anyone. Working in the …
On the afternoon of 7/11/07 I was at work in Jacksonville, NC at a rehab facility for teen sex offenders when I …
Every year during the second week of April, the telecommunications personnel in the public safety community, are honored. This week-long event, initially …
Many agencies choose to celebrate NPSTW with dress themes for different days during the week. Here are some of their ideas from …
Every year for National Telecommunication week we pick a theme and go all out with it. We decorate our break room, host …
Union Township celebrated Telecommunications week by hosting an open house for our Communications Specialists (dispatchers) and their families. We felt it was …
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