Image: The Alexander County public safety answering point celebrates National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week 2023.
The N.C. 911 Board is honoring 911 telecommunicators throughout North Carolina for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week April 9-15. See photos of 911 telecommunicators celebrations throughout North Carolina.
In North Carolina, more than 3,000 telecommunicators answered approximately 7.2 million calls in 2022.
This week, Jackson County 911 in Sylva and Orange County Emergency Services in Hillsborough hosted live-streaming of Ricardo Martinez’s Within the Trenches podcast that tells the stories of 911 telecommunicators and their work. A special guest was Sara Weston, founder of 911der Women, a nonprofit that supports and provides resources for women working in the 911 field. Local 911 telecommunicators participated in the podcasts to share their stories, laughter and words of appreciation.
The N.C. 911 Board has advocated for clarifying the essential role of 911 telecommunicators as part of the public safety network. The board supported statements that were read by the N.C. General Assembly in February to recognize 911 telecommunicators as first responders along with emergency medical personnel, law enforcement and firefighters.