Emergency communications technicians, commonly known as dispatchers, have always been the “first of the first” responding to calls for help to 911, providing a calm voice on the other end of the phone. Along with dealing directly with the public, dispatchers funnel information to police officers, paramedics and other public safety officials to inform their response to incidents.
However, University of Colorado dispatchers' job designation has traditionally put them in the same category as office and administrative support. Now, a special proclamation, announced during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, is changing that.
Emergency communications technicians in police departments at CU Boulder, CU Anschutz and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs will be officially designated as first responders. (The proclamation does not apply to CU Denver, as that campus shares resources provided by the Auraria Campus Police Department.) UCCS currently has seven dispatchers on staff.
"Dispatchers deal with many of the same stressors and traumas that other first responders do," said Chief of Police Dewayne McCarver. "And I can't tell you how many times during my career that the sound of the dispatcher in my ear was critical to my survival."
The new designation offers well-deserved recognition for the dispatchers who help others in high-stress situations. It will also allow them to take advantage of specialized training and mental health resources and changes the overall perception of the position, which could help with recruiting dispatchers on all three campuses.
"Emergency Communications Specialists provide critical public safety services twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the same as peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel," reads the proclamation in part. "Emergency Communications Specialists deal with intense, life-and-death situations and are often communicating with people in states of great distress, harm, fear, and injury...Emergency Communications Specialists are essential to the emergency response framework as they are the first line of communication for persons needing assistance and provide a lifeline to peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel in the field."
Thank you to all of our dispatchers for everything you do!