Prosper to celebrate National Telecommunicators Week

PROSPER –  The Town of Prosper is among the thousands of communities throughout the nation that will pay tribute to their dispatch operators during National Telecommunicators Week April 14-20, according to Communications Supervisor Sidney Snyder.

“Dispatchers, 9-1-1 operators or telecommunicators are all names that refer to those men and women who provide that calming voice when you dial 9-1-1. Our job is to act as that solid, unbreakable bridge between people facing emergencies and the public safety personnel who will ultimately respond. We’re that critical link in the chain that makes it all work,” she said.

Prosper has operated its own emergency call center at Town Hall for about three years, and currently has seven telecommunicators who are trained and certified in quickly and accurately dispatching appropriate emergency resources, providing critical instructions to persons awaiting help, and serving as the calming, comforting and compassionate telephone companion to the distressed.

“Each of our telecommunicators is skilled in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, bleeding control techniques, and some of us have even been known to talk surprised fathers through childbirth,” said Snyder.
As part of the celebration, the Prosper Police Department is asking young residents to participate by submitting a drawing of “A Day in the Life of a Dispatcher.” The communications personnel in three categories will judge drawings: ages 2-5, 6-10 and 11-15. Prizes will be awarded for best drawings in each category.

“We’ll give each winner a commemorative t-shirt, and we’ll hang all of the entries in our lobby area,” she said.

The dispatch office operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, and in addition to dispatching police, fire and EMS personnel to emergencies, the telecommunicators serve as the first contact for people seeking help.

“For that reason, we’re known as the first first-responders. Without the initial interaction between us and persons at the site of an emergency, our first-responders would be at a dangerous disadvantage,” she added.
An important part of the dispatcher’s job is maintaining that vital link not only between people seeking help and public safety personnel, but also between the various agencies within the public service sectors. That connection allows police and fire personnel to know what each is doing, and allows dispatchers to relay real-time information which can assist in criminal apprehension and in coordinating search and rescue operations.

“We’re where it all starts, and sometimes, we get the satisfaction of seeing a good ending to a difficult situation. Either way, we try to accomplish our jobs with professionalism, decorum, stability and steadiness,” she said.

Drawings may be dropped off between April 14 and 20 at Town Hall, 121 W. Broadway St. in the downtown area, at the Dispatch office, 110 Main St. or given to any police officer, firefighter or EMS technician. Please include the name of the child, age and contact information on the backside of the drawing.