Pandemic postpones events to honor dispatchers

National Public Safety Telecommunications Week is celebrated each year throughout the United States to recognize those working on the front lines taking emergency calls.

The week is used to spread awareness about what dispatchers do and the service they provide to the community. ​The Wood County 911 Center usually marks the occasion with a party to recognize its employees for their individual achievements.

However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year's events have been postponed.

There are six operators per shift at the Wood County 911 center, and they handle hundreds of calls a day, a number that has increased since the pandemic.

"We also would like people to have some patience with us, given the situation now, we have to screen everybody, we have to make sure that our res ponders are staying as safe as they can," said dispatcher Dustin Matheny, who's also an assistant supervisor. "So, that's an additional line of questioning that has been added to every call and every situation."

Officials at the center are also trying to keep everyone safe by checking the temperature of everyone coming into the building.