CLEARFIELD – Telecommunicators at Clearfield County 911 will be recognized along with more than 200,000 of their fellow communicators nationwide April 14-20 during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
“These silent heroes of public safety are more than just a voice on the other end of the line,” says a press release issued by 911 Coordinator Jeremy Ruffner. “They often save lives on a daily basis.”
Clearfield County telecommunicators are challenged on a daily basis with life and death situations.
“They are expected to handle these stressful situations with compassion, empathy and professionalism and must be at their best while dealing with people who may be at their worst in many cases,” the release states.
“People don’t usually call them for help when they are having their best day. By the nature of the business, they deal with people who have been victimized or need medical assistance.
“They may be threatening and belligerent, or in some cases, not able to communicate at all, other than dialing 911 with their last bit of strength, in an attempt to get help.”
Telecommunicators in Clearfield County provide a critical service to residents by dispatching law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical services and other first responders 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Clearfield County 911 employs 22 telecommunicators. In 2018, they answered 124,034 calls for assistance. The Clearfield County 911 Center provides dispatch services for 13 police, 14 EMS and 37 fire agencies countywide.
