National Public Safety Telecommunications Week is currently in progress across the nation. In observance of this, the troopers and staff at Kentucky State Police Post 10 in Harlan are showing appreciation for the people responsible for relaying vital information from the public to the appropriate on-duty personnel.
Post 10 Telecommunications Supervisor Raymond Day said the work his staff puts in is greatly appreciated.
“We appreciate the hard work and dedication that all of our telecommunicators put in at Post 10 to provide service to the citizens of the county,” said Day.
According to Day, the work the telecommunications staff does is vital to the safety of the troopers in the field.
Post 10 Police Telecommunicator Yolanda Young has been doing the job for more than 10 years.
“Working in the Post 10 radio room is pretty much a roller coaster ride from day to day,” said Young. “You never know what to expect. It’s very satisfying and rewarding to be able to help the citizens and also to be there for the troopers to provide assistance to anyone needing it at any time.”
According to Young, the best part of the job is being able to help someone in need.
“I had a 911 call of an infant that was 3 weeks old that was not breathing,” said Young. “I was able to give them directions and tell them how to perform CPR and the end result was the baby survived. That was very satisfying, knowing I played a part in that and helping those parents when they needed someone there.”
Young said calls such with outcomes like that do not occur as often as they would like.
“When it does happen, that makes your job worthwhile,” said Young.
There are usually anywhere from two to four dispatchers on duty at Post 10. The post employees a total of 11 dispatchers currently.
“The Post 10 radio room serves as the dispatch center for Harlan, Bell and Knox counties, but serves also as the Harlan County 911 Center. I am proud of the staff we have here in the Post 10 radio room and I appreciate their professionalism and dedication,” said Post 10 Commander Leslie Smith.
Post 10 in Harlan will join more than 200,000 fellow communicators throughout the United States being recognized for their long hours and dedication to public safety.
Post 10 has 11 telecommunicators on staff. Last year, Post 10 responded to 37,820 calls.
According to the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council’s website, National Public Safety Telecommunications Week is a time when “Americans can show gratitude to 911 call-takers, dispatchers, technicians that maintain radio and emergency phone systems, communications staff trainers, communications center personnel and other public safety telecommunications staff across the country who work tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to help you during emergencies.”
Reach Joe P. Asher at 606-573-4510, ext. 113, jasher@civitasmedia.com
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