Lake County 911 Celebrating Dispatch Week
Lake County 911 is celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which runs from April 12th – 18th, 2020. Sometimes called “Dispatch Week” the focus is recognition of the incredible women and men of emergency communications centers, and their important role in emergency response.
“We are lucky to have such a dedicated group of professional telecommunicators,” said Lake County 911 Director Mark Swiderski. “The State of Indiana passed a law this year that finally recognized something we have known for a long time, dispatchers are first responders.”
Deputy Director of Operations CJ Wittmer says that Lake County 911 telecommunicators provide a calm voice during emergency incidents. “Our telecommunicators are able to help callers, who are often frantic, through their worst days. We help to deliver babies, talk callers through CPR instructions, and gather critical information for Police, Fire, and EMS responders.”
The week-long event originated in California in 1981 and continues today to draw attention to the hard work and dedication of 911 Dispatchers. “It’s often a misunderstood profession,” said Deputy Director of Support Services Corbin Bish. “Before joining this organization, I had no idea of the human element behind 911. The wonderful people wearing the headset deal with incredible stress and adversity every day. Their strength and resilience never cease to amaze me.”
Lake County has over 100 dispatchers and 8 supervisors, plus administrative and support staff, according to Public Information Officer Ryan Cusack. “Lake County Public Safety Telecommunicators answer more than 600,000 telephone calls every year, and process nearly a half-million emergency and non-emergency incidents. ‘The right help to the right place, with efficiency, accuracy, and empathy.’ Although this mission is simple, the task is not, and we are proud of the first responders at Lake County 911 that literally answer the calls for help in our community.”
