CARMEL – Putnam County’s 911 dispatchers are a dedicated group of men and women who stand as the first line of defense in the event of crisis or emergency.
On Monday, County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Commissioner of Emergency Services Ken Clair and Putnam Legislators Bill Gouldman of Putnam Valley, Paul Jonke of Brewster and Amy Sayegh of Mahopac visited the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center in Carmel and thanked the dispatchers for their efforts by declaring National Public Safety Telecommunications Week in Putnam County.
The week was first conceived in California in 1981 and since that time has been formally proclaimed in counties across the U.S.
Odell told the dispatchers, their supervisors and staff, “You ladies and gentlemen step up 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are only 50 miles from New York City and must never forget that Putnam is in the shadow of what was once two tall towers and we recognize that at any minute life can change. The 911 dispatchers are always at the ready.”
Putnam’s 911 dispatchers include Supervisor Cindy Jacobsen, Shift Supervisor Shawn Madsen, Edward Scott, Robert Ridpath, Anthony Nistico, Brian Burdick, William O’Dell, Robert Shannon, Brendan Stevens, Christopher Langley, Heather Fox, Kimberly Kelly Hahn, Kathleen Dart and Matthew Valente.
Last year, Putnam’s 911 Center answered 90,257 calls for assistance while dispatching EMS, fire and police personnel to 11,885 calls.
Clair praised the county’s “dedicated professionals who deal with people experiencing stressful, frightening and at times life and death situations.”
Clair said when he listens to the tapes of 911 calls “the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I am so impressed with the calm, reassuring and sometimes stern manner the dispatchers deal with frantic callers. You men and women are a special breed of heroes who often go unrecognized.”
