#FAIRFIELD — Chief Christopher Lyddy and the Fairfield Police Department would like to recognize the town’s public safety dispatchers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
During the week of April 12-18, public safety agencies take time to reflect on the critical role telecommunications professionals play in supporting the work of first responders. This week honors the thousands of men and women across the country who respond to emergency calls, dispatch first responders and equipment and render life-saving assistance to residents.
“Our dispatchers are our first line of response to serve our community members and they give us the information we need to carry out our tasks and services,” Chief Lyddy said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do for our community in an effective and safe manner.”
Fairfield’s 15 communications professionals are specially trained to handle thousands of calls for service every year. While their work is done outside of the view of the public, they are an essential resource for first responders and the public alike and serve as the first point of contact for members of the public seeking help in an emergency.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, dispatchers are on the front lines with first responders ensuring that they have all the information needed to safely respond to calls for service. On average, Fairfield dispatchers typically receive over 1,000 calls each month. During the month of March, Fairfield Police dispatchers have fielded 1,353 of 911 calls, which represents a 14% increase from March of 2019 when they took 1,189 911 calls.
About APCO International- APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association, and it sponsors National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week each year. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole – by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy, and outreach.
