Sioux County, Iowa — This week, April 10th through 16th, is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is held annually during the second week of April to honor telecommunications personnel for their commitment, service, and sacrifice to the profession.
Nate Huizenga is Chief Deputy with the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, and he says public safety telecommunicators, often referred to as dispatchers, are the first 1st responders the public comes into contact with.
Huizenga says that, although Sioux County is primarily a rural county, their telecommunicators handle a large volume of calls each year.
He says the telecommunicators at the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office answer calls for service for more than just the County’s deputies.
Huizenga offered a thank you to the telecommunicators for the job they do.
In addition to training in-house at the Sheriff’s Office, Huizenga says the dispatchers are required to undergo 40 hours of training in Des Moines. He says they’re on the job for quite a while for training, before they put in their first solo shift handling the telephone, radio, computer and other equipment that is necessary to the performance of their duties.
