Local leaders recognized National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week on Monday at City Hall with a proclamation to acknowledge the “vital link” that they provide for emergency responders.

Athens-Limestone 911 Center director Brandon Wallace wanted to make sure everyone knew this wasn’t just for his center – it was for all the public safety professionals in the community.

“Telecommunicator week is not just for the 911 telecommunicators. It’s for the county, city, Ardmore, we are the telecommunicators for both city and county fire, but there are about 35 other telecommunicators for the city and county, as well as EMS. So, it’s not just for 911, it’s for all of the telecommunicators.”

Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly spoke to those gathered about his family’s recent need for those emergency services.

“My son had a bad car accident, and my daughter-in-law, she found him and called 911. The 911 person stayed on the phone with her for 26 minutes until the first responders got there. They live out in the middle of nowhere … They’re 40 miles from a hospital. That person kept her calm that 26 minutes,” Daly said.

His son’s accident was about 12 days ago, and he said on Monday despite all his injuries they are grateful he is alive and are preparing for the long road ahead for his recovery. To the emergency professionals gathered at City Hall, he thanked them for all that they do for the Limestone community.

“I admire so much about y’all. Y’all diffuse so many problems before they become a problem,” Daly said.

Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin, Athens Police Captain Anthony Pressnell, and Athens Fire Chief James Hand all thanked the telecommunicators for their working relationship with their respective departments.

Chairman of the 911 Board Jerry Crabtree said he’s answered those calls before and knows it’s not easy and he’s seen how things have changed for the call-takers with new technologies.

“You’ve got to be calm and professional and everybody that does this job we’re so grateful,” Crabtree said.

Taylor Murphy, the Operations Manager at the 911 Center, said she’s been there through all those changes and is grateful for the community support that the telecommunicators have had through all the growth and change.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see that we are still working together for our city and county – all our agencies. We’re very very blessed to have such great teams that day after day after day work well together and support each other,” Murphy said.

Athens-Limestone Hospital ambulance director Brett McGill explained how the dispatchers and telecommunicators are often a source of comfort and calm in the field when there are varying degrees of emergencies.

“There’s a lot of times … that what they call for is not really why they needed you there. So sometimes the paramedics and the EMTs that get back on that radio, that familiar voice that they’re hearing either from 911 or from our dispatchers is really a lifeline because they need something more than what we thought we were sending them out there for,” McGill said. “That is your umbilical cord to safety and some more help, so it’s a big deal.”