[simage=3698,200,y,left] Individuals who are the first link in emergency assistance are being recognized this week during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. At the Pella Police Department, Communications Supervisor Marcia Slycord says the five full-time dispatchers on staff serve a vital role in getting emergency professionals and equipment from their stations to the locations they are needed at.

“Communications is the hidden link in the chain of getting them [emergency personnel] there. If we didn’t have them answering the phone, then the chain would be broken,” said Slycord. “Without the communications at the Police Department, there would not be that personal contact. The City of Pella is lucky to have that personal contact here at the Police Department 24-7.”

The dispatchers at the Pella Police Department are T.J. Frank, Sarah Kingery, Kim Pettyjohn, Holly Smith and Kaci Visser. National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week was established by Congress in 1991 to raise awareness of the hard work and dedication of emergency dispatchers.

Marion County Director of Communications Martha Dykstra says that it’s a very rewarding job. She tells KNIA/KRLS News that she likes knowing that every day she is making a difference. Dispatch is where everything begins when the calls come in, Dykstra notes, and where it usually ends as well. Sheriff Ron Goemaat says that it takes a special type of person to handle the stresses of being a dispatcher and to help others stay calm in an emergency. He commends all of the dispatchers for the work they do for the county.