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EBENSBURG -- Officials from the Wolf administration and Cambria County lauded the work of 911 dispatchers as part of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
"They are a key part of providing life-saving instructions to callers, coordinating resources to respond to incidents and make sure they have everything they need for their safety, and they perform many more duties to protect and serve the public," said Jeff Boyle, the governor's deputy director for 911.
According to Boyle, there are 2,500 telecommunicators across Pennsylvania who process 14 million requests for service annually.
This week, The Federal Emergency Management Agency is spotlighting the state's "best and brightest" telecommunicators," Boyle said.
Art Martynuska, director of Cambria County Emergency Services, said it's a pleasure to work with these telecommunicators on a daily basis.
"Day in and day out, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, these people are here ready to answer the call," Martynuska said. "Their professionalism, their dedication to duty shines above all."
Martynuska noted that while most people are asleep at night and with their families on holidays, these telecommunicators are on the job and making sacrifices to provide their critical service.
"We're very proud to have these folks, not only during National Telecommunicators Week when we honor them, but we're trying to honor them all year-round because the efforts they put forth are truly life-saving."
Boyle said these workers have been resilient in the face of staffing shortages, which he largely attributes to the pandemic.
"(COVID-19) has really impacted counties with their ability to fill positions, so there's a limited workforce right now and competition for those workers is fierce."
After the event, Greg Schilling, emergency management specialist for Cambria 911, said telecommunicators make thankless efforts for their communities every day.
"These folks don't get the recognition that they are due," Schilling said. "They take many calls over the course of one 12-hour shift, and it is that calm behind the storm; those folks definitely make a difference each and every day."