Thanks to the local emegency dispatchers

National Public Safety Telecommunications Week is April 8 - 14. It’s a time to recognize and lend appreciation to the frontline responders who answer our 9-1-1 calls.

The dedicated professionals that answer every single one of those calls in some of people’s darkest hours, are 911 dispatchers. Their job is more than just answering phones and radio calls. Dispatchers determine the type and level of response necessary, monitor response progression and safety of responding units, operate the computer aided dispatch system that creates vital records, and deliver pre-arrival emergency medical instruction. From initiating a response to the “all clear," they are involved with each police, fire, EMS and community emergency call. ­­­
 
These professionals are often forgotten and go unrecognized for the work they do. So this week, during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office is taking time to celebrate the people who tie the many arms of emergency response together.
 
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office 911 Communications Center employs six full-time Dispatcher/Jailers along with a Lead Dispatcher and the Jail/Dispatch Administrator. As if manning the helm of the 911 communication ship isn’t enough, Dispatchers are also Jailers and manage jail operations and inmates in accordance with the Department of Corrections standards. The Cook County 911 Dispatch Team includes Dispatch/Jail Administrator – Ben, Lead Dispatcher – Lindsay, Dispatchers: Darcy, Heather, John, Dawn, Britta and Ben B.
 
Sheriff Pat Eliasen stopped by to talk to WTIP about the important role these dispatchers play.