Telecommunicators Week Celebrated With Open House At FDL County Communications Center

Even though they are not the police or firefighters that respond to your door the people who field your 9-1-1 calls often are dealing with you during some of the most difficult times in your life. That’s why there is a Public Safety Telecommunicators Week to recognize those dispatchers.  Fond du Lac County Communications and Emergency Management Director Bobbi Hicken started out as a dispatcher herself. She says each year the County’s Communications Center takes thousands of calls. She says they take about 141,000 administrative calls a year and about 100 911 calls a day.

Each dispatcher goes through six months of training. She says not everyone is equipped to deal with the job. She says you have to multi-task and have thick skin because people yell and get upset with you. But she says you still have to be able to provide the service they need. Last year County dispatchers contributed to saving 12 lives while emergency personnel responded and continued care. Wednesday the Communications Center at the City-County Government Center will have an open house. Hours for the event are from 4 to 6 p.m.