"The Calm Voice In The Dark" - Celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week

The message below was shared with the Current by Melinda Burns, the communications supervisor at the Nantucket Public Safety Facility.

When someone calls 911, they are often experiencing one of the worst days of their life. On the other end of the line is a calm steady voice trained to listen and give pre-arrival instructions, which often can be lifesaving, all while simultaneously dispatching the proper agencies. A 911 dispatcher must be trained in Emergency Medical Dispatch, CPR/First Aid, hold several certifications to operate the system and must remain calm, cool, and knowledgeable during even the hardest calls. This year, as we celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunications week across the nation, we are grateful to honor our specially trained Nantucket Public Safety Dispatchers who work endlessly to keep our island safe.

The Nantucket Communications Department is active 24/7, 365 days a year, and is comprised of a unique, diversified team of 11 individuals who are dedicated to the job. In the past year alone, our dispatchers have answered over 17,000 non-emergency and emergency calls from the public. 8,022 of those calls were answered through our 911 system, resulting in 1,272 emergency medical calls, 53 beach rescues, and a substantial amount of police responses. Our dispatchers are also responsible for dispatching and communicating with many other departmental agencies including the DPW, Sewer Dept., United States Coast Guard, Nantucket Harbormaster, Nantucket Memorial Airport, Nantucket Public Schools, Nantucket Cottage Hospital, and more.

Please join us in honoring the unseen lifeline, the calm voice in the dark, the first, first responder who will always be there to answer your call. Our dispatchers are first responders in every sense and we thank you for your service to our island we call home.