The work of Livingston County’s 911 dispatchers will be recognized during a week-long event in April.

The U.S. Congress each year designates the second week of April as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week to honor the estimated 300,000 men and women that are a part of the country’s 911 system. 2019’s Telecommunicators Week will be held April 14th through the 20th. Several events are planned locally that will recognize Livingston County’s dispatchers. 911 Director Chad Chewning says the management team from Central Dispatch will cook a meal for the day and night shift dispatchers, adding that the team usually receives help from local public safety officials. Each day of the week will be themed to make work a little more fun for Central Dispatch staff.

The yearly happening usually includes an awards ceremony to recognize certain cases that dispatchers have handled; however the ceremony is being pushed back to coincide with the opening of Livingston County’s new dispatch center. Chewning says the ceremony will be held inside the new facility after it opens, which will likely be in August or September. In addition to recognizing staff members, the ceremony will also highlight Livingston County Central Dispatch’s recent achievement as 15th in the world to become a Triple-Accredited Center of Excellence (Tri-ACE).

Central Dispatch was approved in early March as an Emergency Fire Dispatch Center of Excellence, making them the 1st in Michigan and the 11th in the United States to become a Tri-ACE. Along with fire, the other two accreditations are in medical and police dispatch, which were previously earned. (DK)