Orange County Insight May 2024

Emergency Communications Pays it Forward During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

By: Michelle Williams, Senior Administrative Assistant, Orange County Emergency Communications

The Emergency Communications Center (ECC) celebrated National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW), April 14 - 20, with the theme of “ Pay it Forward. ” To foster goodwill, the OCECC communications officers created personalized bags of popcorn for each employee at the surrounding localities ’ dispatch centers: Culpeper, Madison, Greene, Louisa, Albemarle, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, and Stafford; create donation bins for the Animal Shelter, Social Services, Office on Youth, and SAFE; and began writing notes to Dogwood Village residents to be delivered this month. Staff also voted on themed days to dress up: Pajama Day; Red, White, and Blue Day; Disney Day; and Superhero Day. While some outfits were subtle, some were not!

Throughout the week, the Communications Officers appreciated care packages received from the Adopt - a - Dispatcher program for NPSTW. The ECC ended the week with their NPSTW Awards Ceremony and Staff Meeting. The following awards were given for achievements in 2023: Life Saving Awards: Bayleigh Carpenter - Smith, Abbe Smithson, Cassandra Keaton, Nicki Shultz, Jessica Bowman, and Justin Lynch.

Team Citation: C - Team (Jeremy Brown, Abbe Smithson, and Cassandra Keaton)

Rookie of the Year: Virginia B.

Outstanding Performance: Katherine Haller

Professional Achievement: Nicki Shultz

Instructor: Nicki Shultz

Communications Officer of the Year: Cassandra Keaton (pictured top right with Director Chris Cord)

After all the awards were handed out, staff gathered in the hallway of the ECC in front of their new Tree of Life and watched as their teammates hung leaves that represented lives they had helped save thus far in 2024 (see page 17).

Page 16 | May 2024

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