April 8, 2018 – Washington County, NY – The Washington County Department of Public Safety is celebrating the second full week of April (April 8th – 14th) as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week! Public Safety Telecommunicators Week brings celebration, honor and recognition and focuses on the otherwise unsung heroes on the other end of the phone or radio! We’re thankful to have the opportunity to reflect on and recognize the important role of the 911 Communications professional as the "first", first responder.
Chairman Robert Henke and the Washington County Board of Supervisors are also recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and honored the Department of Public Safety’s 911 Communications Center staff by releasing an official Proclamation for National Telecommunicators Week!
About the Washington County Department of Public Safety 911 Communications Center:
The 911 Communications Center is the largest division of the Department of Public Safety in Washington County, the communications center is the sole Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in Washington County and fields all landline and cellular 911 calls residing in Washington County or being processed by a cellular tower located within Washington County.
As previously stated, the 911 Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for all weekends and holidays. The center receives and dispatches calls for service for 35 Fire Departments, 9 of which are in the state of Vermont, 10 EMS agencies, 2 of which are in the state of Vermont, and 10 Law Enforcement agencies overall, including local dispatch functions for some of the state agencies we work alongside. Our Communications Center also processes and dispatches for the Department of Public Works (County, Towns, and Villages), Social Services, Public Health, and the county Sewer Agency.
In 2017, the county 911 Communications Center processed over 131,000 phone calls on over 40 different phone lines and processed over 68,000 incidents / activities alongside the many Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS and other public service agencies we serve with!
Our 911 Communications staff members are highly trained to handle a multitude of incidents, as well as trained in the use of the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) systems, providing necessary and at times, life-saving, pre-arrival instructions to those experiencing medical emergencies. Our staff members all receive the APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator course following their assignment to the position, and undergo continuing training and education as well as specialized training throughout the year on various subjects and systems.
Our 911 Center professionals are tasked with receiving, processing, and dispatching calls for all facets of public safety and public service, serving the County of Washington, our residents and visitors with pride. We are proud of our staff and the difficult job our Communications professionals do, they are truly the “first” of the First Responders!
For more information regarding National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, visit www.npstw.org.