Honoring the Voices Behind the Headsets: National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week
This week — April 13–19, 2025 — the Small Town Post joins communities across the country to celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW), and we’re sending heartfelt thanks to the dedicated dispatchers serving the town of Blackstone, MA.
Whether you dial 911 for a police emergency, a fire, or a medical crisis, it’s a dispatcher who answers first. These trained professionals are the calm voice on the other end, gathering crucial details, offering instructions, and sending the help you need — fast.
Here in Blackstone, our dispatchers are the vital link between residents and the emergency responders who protect and serve our town. They coordinate with Blackstone Police, Blackstone Fire & EMS, and often work with neighboring agencies during mutual aid calls. They manage multiple radio channels, relay updates in real time, and make split-second decisions — all while remaining composed and compassionate.
A Bit of History
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week was first established in 1981 by a dispatcher in California, and officially recognized by Congress in 1991. It’s a time to give thanks to the public safety professionals whose work is critical — even if we never see them in person.
In a town like Blackstone, their role is even more personal. Our dispatchers are community members. They answer calls from people they know — sometimes neighbors, sometimes friends. They listen, they act, and they help save lives, day and night.
How You Can Show Appreciation in Blackstone:
- Drop off a thank-you card or a note at any of our emergency services teams at the Police and Fire Department, maybe even ask the Town Hall
- Give a social media shout-out to a dispatcher you know using #NPSTW and #BlackstoneDispatch
- Encourage kids and students to learn about 911 and send drawings or thank-you notes
- Just say “thank you” if you see one of our dispatchers around town — it means more than you know
