Some of you may realize and some of you may not, but every year during the second week in April, the telecommunications personnel in the public safety setting are honored for their service. This week-long event is known as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week and has been going on since 1981.

In many instances, dispatchers aren’t the ones who receive the “thank you” and aren’t the ones many consider as “lifesavers.” But the truth is, without them, police officers would never be able to save us when we need saving and they would never be able to get to us in emergency situations.

Dispatchers are the first ones to know our emergency. When a 9-1-1 call goes into them and they answer saying “9-1-1 what’s your emergency,” their whole life is transformed into focusing on us. They listen to us, they help us and they make sure we get the help we need.

Unfortunately, they have an under-appreciated job, and this week was created to not only give them a “thank you,” but to raise awareness to just how important they are.

So if you know a dispatcher, or if you have been helped by one before, take the time to celebrate them, reach out to them and let me know that you appreciate the job they do and the dedication they put into their profession.

Just like any law enforcement job, they make sacrifices every day to make the world we live in a safer and better place. We may not have face-to-face interactions with them, but our interactions can be life changing.