National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week honors 911 dispatchers

OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. (KTTC) – This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, a week dedicated to those who are on the other end of 911 calls.

911 dispatchers are available 24-7 to take calls from people who are in crisis and needing help.

There are 22 dispatchers that cover the city of Rochester and Olmsted County. All together they have more than 400 hours of law enforcement and EMS experience.

Right now, dispatchers are in the clerical work category, but there is a national movement to move them to the first responder category. This would enhance their benefits and retirement.

“We are often the first people someone talks to in a crisis, and even though we aren’t responding to the scene, we still are mental health-wise,” Olmsted County 911 dispatcher Janelle Rosin said. “We should still be considered more than working a job 8-5 as a support person.”

Local dispatchers say when you call and they ask you questions, it is not delaying help. Dispatchers are actually dispatching emergency services as you speak, and questions are used to get help to you faster.

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