Public Safety Telecommunicators around the nation are being honored this week. Martha Dykstra and Chad Desplanque with the Marion County 911 and Dispatch Office told KNIA/KRLS News that dispatchers are the starting and ending point for every emergency.

As the first voice people hear at times of fear and stress, Dykstra says telecommunicators appreciate being able to make a difference for people in Marion county. Desplanque encourages 911 callers to remain calm and answer questions dispatchers ask so they can get help to them as quickly as possible. He added that a good practice is to pay attention to mile markers in the county as they are the most accurate way of determining a location in a highway emergency.