Local telecommunicators celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week last week, and on Wednesday, they turned the Tucker County 911 Center into a pirate ship, complete with pirates. Activities were planned for each day including dressing as pirates, as their favorite sports team, as their favorite hero, with their favorite hat and using a western theme. Celebrating Wednesday are Jennifer Rosier, Kyleigh Rosier, Jordan Hayes, Judy Long and Beverly Klus.
PARSONS – Last week, the Tucker County 911 Telecommunicators celebrated a week that formally recognizes their hard work and dedication. The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials set aside April 12 to 18 to celebrate these heroes and the hard work they perform.
Beverly Klus, Tucker County Telecommunicator, said the week is fun. “It gives us time to do something out of the ordinary.”
Tucker County 911 Deputy Director Judy Long said she appreciates the recognition, and says she enjoys her career in telecommunications.
“I like the work,” Long said. “I like the fast pace and it can be rewarding. It’s nice to go home at the end of the day and know you helped someone. It’s great knowing you have made a difference. Even if it’s instructing a chest pain patient to take an aspirin and it gives them some relief before the ambulance arrives.”
Long said the job is sometimes difficult.
“It’s hard sometimes to calm the hysterical parents,” Long said. “We sometimes have irate callers.”
Long said when someone calls 911, their caller’s emergency becomes the dispatcher’s emergency.
“Regardless of how significant the problem is, they are turning to us for help,” Long said. “It can also be a heartbreaking time, but for the most part, it is rewarding.”
Klus said she also loves her job.
“No two calls are ever the same,” Klus said. “I enjoy being able to help the people in the community. It keeps you on your toes.”
Darla Stemple, Director of the Tucker County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management/911 said she is proud of the county’s telecommunicators.
““Our dedicated dispatchers play a critical role in protecting the public,” Stemple said. “Whether it’s a medical problem, fire, accident or criminal activity, they are on the front lines for our community. While they are hardworking and important all year round, it’s nice to have a week dedicated to recognizing their efforts.”
Telecommunicators at the Tucker County 911 Center receive on the job training and complete a 40-hour telecommunicator training through the state. “There is also a 32 hour dispatch class required,” Long said. “Also, everyone must go to Charleston for a week for WEAPON training, which is the West Virginia State Police Automated Network training. That is where we learn to do driver’s license checks, registration checks and criminal histories.”
Long said telecommunicators also complete at least 12 hours of continuing education each year. “Our jobs are so much more than answering the phones and the radio,” Long said. “People might assume if they don’t hear us on the radio, that we are not busy, but that is not necessarily the case.”
One of the hard parts of being a telecommunicator is distraught family members, according to Long.
“Mine is not knowing the outcome of the calls,” Klus said. “Not knowing what happens to the patients after we hang up the phone is hard. There is no closure.”
APCO President John Wright said there are more than 6,000 Public Safety Answering Points in the United States, where Public Safety professionals dedicate their lives to helping others.
“We have come a long way from where we started back in 1994 when then-President Clinton signed the official bill that permanently set aside the second full week in April to recognize the men and women in this great profession,” Wright said.
The official proclamation says, “Whereas the safety of our police officers and firefighters is dependent upon the quality and accuracy of information obtained from citizens who telephone the Tucker County 911 police-fire communications center; and whereas Public Safety Telecommunicators are the first and most critical contact our citizens have with emergency services; and whereas Public Safety Telecommunicators are the single vital link for our police officers and firefighters by monitoring their activities by radio, providing them information and insuring their safety; and whereas Public Safety Telecommunicators of the Tucker County 911 Center have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires and treatment of patients; and whereas each dispatcher has exhibited compassion, understanding and professionalism during the performance of their job in the past year, they are honored through the National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
Tucker County Telecommunicators include Director Darla Stemple, with 26 years of experience; Long, with nine years of experience; David Carr, with 19 years of experience; Patrick Gray, with 10 years of experience; Joe Meloy, with six years of experience; Debbie Stemple, with five years of experience; Janet Canon, with four years of experience; Jennifer Rosier, with three years of experience and Beverly Klus, with a year of experience. Part time employees include Brett Ware, Angie Tompkins and Jordan Hayes.
