Staff Report
During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office each year recognizes and thanks the team of public safety dispatchers at the Santa Barbara County Public Safety Dispatch Center.
“Throughout the year our dispatchers have a hand in almost everything our local safety personnel have done for the people we serve,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.
“Though unseen and often unsung, our public safety professions could not exist without them,” he said.
“On Jan. 9, our dispatchers handled thousands of calls for help during one of the worst natural disasters in California history. They did so with grace and professionalism,” he said.
“They represented themselves, this agency and the law enforcement profession in an extraordinary manner.”
“These dedicated professionals work around the clock to ensure community members get the help and resources they need as quickly as possible,” added sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover. “They are a lifeline not only to the community members who are calling for help, but also to first responders who rely on them for accurate and detailed information.”
The Santa Barbara County Public Safety Dispatch Center has 31 dispatchers, including supervisors.
In 2017, Santa Barbara County dispatched 153,847 law enforcement calls for service, 22,131 fire incidents and 54,144 AMR medical incidents for an average of 630 calls each day.
Dispatchers answered 264,896 telephone calls in 2017 for an average of 726 per day.
Additionally, four county dispatchers received life-saving awards from the Emergency Medical Services Agency for CPR saves and three for assisting with delivering a baby.
These recognized dispatchers had direct involvement in the chain of survival for cardiac arrest patients and childbirth.
Before being hired, dispatchers undergo a rigorous testing and background process followed by months of intense training and then a period of on-the-job training before they work independently.
Anyone interested can visit www.sbsheriff.org to learn about applying to become a dispatcher.
