Berrien County Central Dispatch is celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators this week.
Dispatch center director Caitlin Sampson tells us dispatchers here in Berrien County are dedicated to what they do, and come together in order to get responders to the right place in timely matter.
“The people that answer these phones are heroes,” Sampsell says. “They do things every day that has the chance to make a positive impact on someone’s life in their hardest time. They save lives through CPR, through heimlich, all those sorts of things. We provide medical pre-arrival instructions. I just really appreciate our team members and all those that answer the call across the country.”
April is also recognized as 911 education month. Sampsell says they will be reaching out to schools to provide more information about 911.
“We’re going to be reaching out to schools with the hopes that we might be able to come in and provide presentations to different students and grade levels, whether it’s reading a storybook about 911 or giving some educational opportunities and activities,” Sampsell says. “We’re really hoping to expand that over this next year, and this is a great chance for us to do that.”
Dispatchers at the department will be recognized all week long. If you see or know one, thank them for their service.
On Thursday, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners will recognize the Telecommunicator of the Year award. That will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the County Building.
Remember to contact 911 in an emergency. You can also text 911 in a dangerous situation.
