Livermore Police Dispatcher Recognized for National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week

Announcement, photo submitted by Livermore Police:

National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week will be celebrated the week of April 12- 19, 2015. The week honors those Telecommunicators that are the first link in the chain of emergency police, fire, and medical responses. If you have ever been the victim of a crime, involved in a collision, reported a fire or needed medical help, you have called 9-1-1 and were helped by a Telecommunicator, also known as a Public Safety Dispatcher.

Agencies across the nation are honoring and thanking their 9-1-1 Dispatchers for their dedication and service to their communities. These public safety professionals are there for the public when needed most. They ensure that callers receive professional and timely assistance while quickly getting them the help they need. The appreciation week began in California in 1981, and quickly grew to national recognized event. In 1990, the United States Congress designated the second full week of each April as a time to remember the critical role that dispatchers play in keeping us and our communities safe.

On April 17 2015, the Livermore Police Department will be honoring their 18 Public Safety Dispatchers at the Alameda County Public Safety Dispatcher Banquet in Pleasanton.

This year’s recipient of the Dispatcher of the Year award will be given to PSD Tiffany Oppendike. Tiffany has been a Public Safety Dispatcher with the Livermore Police Department for 8 years and previously with Richmond PD for 11⁄2 years. Prior to her dispatching career Tiffany was Security Officer for 6 years while attending college. Tiffany recalls her most prideful moments as a dispatcher when she received a 9-1-1 call from a frantic male reporting his wife was in labor. Tiffany kept the caller on the line as she provided emergency medical advice to assist the father with delivering his baby.

Recently, Tiffany answered a 9-1-1 call and immediately realized that her grandmother was calling for help. Tiffany quickly determined her grandmother was having a medical emergency and instantly notified the ambulance service with her location.

Tiffany recalls back to that moment, “The minute I realized my grandmother was on the line, I had to put my own feelings aside knowing she needed my help”. As a Public Safety Dispatcher, unless staffing permits, we cannot leave until we are properly relieved by another dispatcher. Knowing I could not leave to go see her, I took a 10 minute break to compose myself and returned to finish my shift”, said Tiffany.

The duties of a Public Safety Dispatcher have evolved considerably over the last half-century. The early days where an officer or clerk would simply answer the phone, relay calls over a console radio, and keep a paper log have given way to a highly technical, multi-tasking environment that requires dispatchers to undergo extensive training and develop a strong skill set. Dispatchers are expected to handle every call they receive, whether it is a simple question, a minor problem, or a major life-threatening emergency. Dispatchers are the unseen heroes, the voice on the other end of the phone or radio. They are always there to help protect and serve our community.