(WVNS) — April 10th through the 16th is known as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

A week dedicated to the service of those who serve their community. Folks like emergency management officers, emergency dispatchers, and all who answer the call for help. Calls that are answered by folks like our own Raleigh County Emergency Operation Center dispatchers.

A job where answering the phone could be a prank call, a simple traffic accident, or the worst day of someone’s life. 12-year dispatch veteran Tabitha Horn said, “When you save somebody’s life, even though you can’t save the five but out of that five that one you save, that’s why you keep coming.

For one county dispatcher, simply asking if they’ve had a call that has stuck with them brings out the emotions. The pain in the eyes of Raleigh County Dispatch Supervisor Savanna Dancy was real to see and hard to watch.

Proof this job isn’t easy and it takes a special person to sit in the hot seat when that call comes in. Dancy said, “we don’t really get recognized that much. We just, you know, do our jobs and go home. And, you know, it feels good to have people that actually have our back.”

As we celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, remember there is a real person behind that voice on the 911 call. A person with real emotions, feelings, and a true passion for what they do. Without them, our entire public safety service system would come to a grinding halt.

From all of us at 59News, we want to thank all our telecommunicators and emergency dispatchers across the region. We appreciate everything you do day in and day out.