National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

KSP Post 7 Honors Silent Heroes Behind The Headsets

RICHMOND, KY (April 18, 2019) — Telecommunicators at the Kentucky State Police Post 7 in Richmond are being recognized along with more than 200,000 of their fellow communicators nationwide April 14-20 during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

 

These silent heroes behind the headsets are more than just a voice on the other end of the line. They often save lives on a daily basis.  In addition to taking calls for service, and relaying information to responding personnel, our telecommunicators have received Emergency Medical Dispatching, which allows them to give the caller instructions to help treat the patient until the emergency responders arrive.

 

“Telecommunicators are the lifeline that stand in the gap between the public needing service and responding first responders” said KSP Post 7 Commander Captain Donald Wilson.  “Our dispatchers are the first line of protection when someone is in need of help during an emergency situation.  I personally appreciate the work that they do and want to take a moment to thank them for faithfully supporting the communities we serve.”

 

KSP telecommunicators handle dispatch duties for Kentucky State Troopers, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers, Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers and other emergency service agencies. Their duties include calling wrecker services, notifying channels of administration, running license plate and driver’s license numbers, running criminal histories and notifying family members while continuing to answer new calls and handling other radio traffic.

 

KSP employs 193 telecommunicators at its 16 posts throughout the state. In 2018, they handled 493,186 calls. Post 7 in Richmond currently has five telecommunicators on staff who handle calls from an eleven-county area, 24 hours a day.

 

The Post 7 telecommunications team includes: Radio Room Supervisor Dewey Burchfield of Berea, Darrel Melton of Berea, Dana Murphy of Ravenna, Paige Shepard of Richmond, and Kelsey Cole of Lexington.

 

For more information or to apply for a telecommunication position with KSP, log on to the state personnel website at www.personnel.ky.gov .