National Telecommunicators Week, April 10-16, 2016

Each year, the second full week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as Public Safety Telecommunicators.

Our staff helps numerous lives by answering emergency calls, dispatching emergency professionals, and by providing moral support and compassion to citizens in distress.

Associated with emergency response is self-control under pressure and critical decision-making within seconds.

Many people don’t stop to think about the faceless individual who answers the 911 calls until they experience an actual emergency themselves.

My hat is off to all of our Public Safety Communications Officers, fondly known to me as Dispatchers. I could go on and on about how important they are, all of the difficult tasks they perform daily, the different hats they wear such as crisis negotiator, EMT on the phone, mastering all of the computer data-systems we use in our everyday work, managing high stress incidents, but I will spare you all of that.

I can tell you how they make us all shine when the chips are down.

We are proud to honor our Communication Officers for their commitment to the community and citizens of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation for saving lives and protecting property.

• Amelia Enriquez
• Dolores Gallegos
• Amanda Lucero
• Amber Albo
• Brenna Atcitty
• Faren Burch
• Lucinda Tyler
• TJ Herrera
• Kateri Largo

Thank you, to all who endure this most challenging and tough job!