COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: The Key Role Played By Dispatch is Recognized with a Week of Its Own

This week is your chance to show appreciation for the backbone of emergency response in the County of Renfrew.

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week runs until this Friday, April 20th, according to Liam Vanderbraak, President of the union overseeing the Central Ambulance Communications Centre in Renfrew, OPSEU/SEFPO Local 449.

That office is one of 22 serving residents in Ontario, and it is a good example of how local dispatchers and those further north in the province need to adapt their skill sets to fit the needs of the community.

While southern dispatchers may cover smaller, more suburban locations with a higher density of population, our local ambulance communications officers need to be knowledgeable about an area nearly three times the size of Prince Edward Island to ensure the right kind of help gets to the right location at the right time.

The week also gives ACO’s the opportunity to share the importance of their duties as they navigate four widescreen monitors, five keyboards, and five mice to manage 9-1-1 calls for two paramedic services and 15 fire departments, ensuring emergency services are sent out efficiently and effectively.

Vanderbraak encourages people to send in notes of gratitude via email, adding that positive messages can provide a silver lining to a day that may have been a stressful day protecting local lives and property.

(written by Kasey Egan)