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National Telecommunications Week occurs the second full week of April in dedication to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators which includes 9-1-1 operators and police, fire and EMS dispatchers. This year National Telecommunications Week will run April 13th through the 19th.
In 1991, the week was officially named “National Public Safety Telecommunications Week” after H.J. Res. 284 was introduced by Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.)
In years past, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Communications Division has enjoyed celebration from other divisions within the Sheriff’s Office as well as sister agencies and supporting vendors. This year, the Communications Division has decided to give back, they have recognized a real economic need in the communities they serve and have decided to put together a department wide canned food drive for the benefit of the Florence Food Bank.
The Florence Food Bank serves a minimum of 50-100 families during each food box distribution day for people who live in the Town of Florence and in surrounding communities. Currently, they run three distribution days per week. The Food Bank receives donations from wholesale grocery distribution centers each month however; they no longer receive canned foods.
The PCSO Public Safety Communications Division is sponsoring the canned food drive with a goal of collecting 1000 cans by April 11th. After the collection is completed, the Communications Division employees are going to volunteer their personal time to drive the food to the Florence Food Bank and then assist with putting together food boxes and handing them out on distribution days during the week of the 11th.
Dispatch Manager Jennifer Cruz stated, “9-1-1 operators and dispatchers have chosen a career of service. We answer 9-1-1 calls from our citizens and visitors who are in peril and we ask our 9-1-1 operators to be the calming voice during the most difficult moments of a person’s life. We consider ourselves the first, first responders but we are removed from those in need by a telephone line. This year, we wanted the opportunity to communicate person-to-person with those we serve. We know times are tough for everyone but we count ourselves as incredibly fortunate and we therefore want the chance to positively impact our communities through this canned food drive. It continues to be our pleasure to serve in every capacity we are able.”
Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “Communications is at the heart of all public safety organizations. Last year our Communications Center received 784,464 calls for service just for our office to handle. This does not include the additional calls for service we received for Kearny, Mammoth, Superior and Ak-Chin Police Departments. Public Safety Telecommunicators are truly the lifeline between the caller and the responding deputy. The professionalism and dedication I have seen from the telecommunicators within our organization is outstanding and I personally salute them for the work they do each day.”
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