Berkeley Fire Department

POV: You call 911 and the person who answers is somehow doing 47 things at once.

Typing your address. Dispatching a unit. Monitoring the radio. Running call protocols. Updating the incident. Answering another call. Keeping you calm, all at the same time.

Public safety telecommunicators answer over 240 million calls each year, handling both emergency and non-emergency situations with focus, professionalism, and precision.

From traffic collisions to life-threatening emergencies, they are the first point of contact on someone’s worst day, and the steady voice on the other end of the line.

April 13–19 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Join us in recognizing the voices behind the call, the ones you may never see, but who are always there when it matters most.