NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 15, 1998

CARY TO RECOGNIZE PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS

CARY, NC -- The Cary Town Council will recognize its 9-1-1 Telecommunicators for their vital work at the Council’s April 23rd regular meeting. The recognition is in conjunction with Governor Hunt’s proclaiming April 12-18 Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in North Carolina.

"Citizens who have had to call on our Telecommunicators know that there’s no way to adequately show our appreciation for the work they do," said Cary Mayor Koka Booth. "When you need them, you really need them, and they are always prepared to help." Booth added that he would hold Cary’s telecommunications center and staff up against any in the nation.

Cary employs 17 full-time Telecommunicators who dispatch police, fire, and rescue services. There are typically 2-3 Telecommunicators working rotating shifts, nine-hour shifts during the week and 12-hour shifts during the weekend. Last year, Cary’s Telecommunicators answered about 178,000 telephone calls, 71,000 of which were 9-1-1 emergency calls.

Each Cary Telecommunicator receives 12 weeks of training before beginning the job, training that includes both DCI and EMD certifications. After that, Telecommunicators must participate in at least 100 hours of continuing education each year.

In addition to dispatching police, fire, and rescue, Cary’s Telecommunicators are qualified to give pre-arrival instructions--emergency first aid instructions provided for patients prior to emergency personnel arriving at the scene. This ability enables the Town to effectively have a "zero response time" to emergencies. Not all 9-1-1 centers offer this service.

Citizens wishing to take a closer look at Cary’s 9-1-1 Center may do so from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday, May 2nd during the Town of Cary’s Town Hall Tour.

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PRIMARY CONTACTS: Dinah Jefferies, NC National Emergency Number Association, 968-2050
Lt. Pat Scaringelli, Cary PD, 460-4919
Bill Coleman, Town Manager, 469-4002
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, 460-4951