ELKINS–The Randolph County Commission has agreed to recognize 911 public safety telecommunicators as “true first responders.”

“The difference between a dispatcher and a telecommunicator is when they are trained,” said Cindy Hart, executive director of the Randolph County Office of Emergency Management. “This is to recognize the telecommunicators as professionals and that they are the first first responder.”

“I think it’s great. I think they’re really proud of what they do, and this just shows that we’re proud of them for what they do.”

The resolution states that telecommunicators serve “24 hours day, seven days a week, the same as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical service workers,” adding that they also make the same sacrifices by “leaving their families, friends, and the safety of their surroundings to handle 911 calls that save lives, protect the property, and ensure the safety of our community during weather, chemical, and other emergency events.”

According to the resolution, telecommunicators handle the stress of answering more than 150,000 calls each year, “often being the voice on the other end of the call as citizens experience the worst day of their lives.”

“They hear the cries of devastation, listen to the screams for help, and are the support as citizens cope with the loss of a loved one. Public Safety Telecommunicators handle all of this at the very same time that they keep their fellow emergency responders in the field safe,” the resolution states.

Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.