A week to honor heros that may not be seen but heard

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - The services communication workers provide for the community often go unrecognized but in a time of need those services won’t soon be forgotten.

A job that holds a lot of responsibility.

“They’re initially the ones that receive the calls and dispatch the calls and then make sure our deputies go home safe.”

The backbone to our first responders sharing the information needed to potentially save lives.

“A dispatcher is our lifeline they’re the ones that are going to bring forth the resources we may need in the time of an emergency,” said Wally Olson – Dale County Sheriff

Without dispatchers, law enforcement and first responders would not know there was a need.

“So the call starts here first. I mean without getting this call the police the firefighters EMS they don’t know about it,” said Paula Simmons – E911 Director.

Though not on the frontline, a dispatcher’s job has its fair share of challenges.

“There’s little room for mistakes in this job no one is ever calling 911 because they’re having a great day they need help and that’s what they have to listen to daily and that does become a hardship for them because they have their own problems and they listen to everybody’s problems each and every day,” said Simmons.

But for all the hardship there are moments that make the job worth it in the end.

“I was in there one day when one of our dispatchers helped deliver a baby and just to hear that baby cry and the mother excited that things went well in the end those are the things that we try to focus on,” said Simmons.

So before the week is over, make sure to thank the dispatchers in your lives for their hard work and dedication to your community.

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