Recognizing Region 26 Dispatch for Nat’l Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

TAYLOR - National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 11-17) is a week where we recognize those who help save lives in times of personal or national crisis and to raise public awareness of the hard work and dedication of our 911 dispatchers.

Region 26 Communications employs eight full-time 911 dispatchers and two former dispatchers with other responsibilities who assist when needed. With every shift worked, dispatchers gather essential information to determine the danger to a caller or the responder in a fraction of time, sometimes with minimal information. Based on information given, it is the intent to dispatch the appropriate emergency response agency to the scene in a timely manner. To help with this process the dispatcher sits in front of four screens that give information when a call comes in; this information has to be processed into getting the correct agency to respond. They also have another computer, which requires special certification, connected to the Nebraska State Patrol to aid Law Enforcement with pertinent information including any caution factors on subjects they may encounter. There are several other programs that a dispatcher needs to be up-to-date on to perform their job.

The Region 26 Communications covers the following counties: Thomas, Blaine, Loup, Garfield, Wheeler, Valley, Greeley & Sherman. Within those counties the dispatchers have the ability to dispatch 22 fire departments, 13 ambulance squads, 12 law enforcement agencies and activate sirens for 15 different communities either for fire and rescue or weather for outdoor warning.

Our dispatch crew and the time they have been with Region 26 includes Donna Steckel, more than 40 years; Virginia Michalski, more than 30 years, now the Office Manager; Linda Lewis, 24 years, now Deputy Emergency Manager; Libby Burk, 15 years; Bailey Lurz, three years; Michaela Malone, 1 1/2 years; Ann Herrick, eight months; Caden Johnson, five months: Kylie Hansen, four months; and Lacey Kruger who has been on the job just a few days.

Alma Beland has been the director for 17 years and she she continues to work on improvements in equipment and software tools, maps and is an encouragement to the dispatchers.

Thank you to each of you who care about the communities you serve and for helping those in a time of need. Find out more about Region 26 at www.region26.org