LETTERS: Dispatchers deserve thanks
To the Editor:
We are writing to thank a group of people whose selfless acts save lives each and every day.
These individuals are the E911 Dispatchers here in Marion County. These men and women work holidays and weekends. They work all shifts giving up evening with their families. Not attending their kids' school functions all because they are dedicated to their jobs and the citizens of Marion County.
These men and women handle numerous phone and radio transmissions while dispatching for 14 fire departments, five ambulance districts, four first response units, two rescue trucks, five police department, highway patrol, wildlife and parks officers, Corps of Engineer rangers, and the sheriff's office. In any given shift they may receive calls ranging from a person whose dog got out and they cannot find it, to a child who was injured in an accident. They handle each and every call in a timely manner and with professionalism.
We are proud of these individuals for the job they have chosen to do and with the professionalism in which they accomplish this job.
These men and women are the first one anyone in trouble speaks to, but the last to receive a thank you. They are a forgotten voice behind a phone unless something goes wrong. They receive very few thank yous from individuals they assist every day. They do this thankless job because they care about each person out there who might need help.
They may not always have the answer to a question but they will always try and direct the caller to someone who might know.
In this the season of giving we would like to thank these men and women we work with every day and wish to thank them for the tireless hours they put in and their dedication to their job.
Michele Abbott-Becker,
Communication Director
Marvena Cheever,
Communication Foreman Marion County Emergency Communication Office (E-911)
