VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) — This week National Public Telecommunicators Week is honoring emergency 9-1-1 dispatchers, the men and women people depend on during some of life’s most difficult moments.

(Pictured above: Bobbi Cochran, dispatcher)

9-1-1 dispatchers are typically anonymous, a voice through a phone during a time of hardship, but they are also a major part of the life-saving process as the first point of contact for people dealing with an emergency situation.

The week of April 8 to April 14 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and celebrated annually, this week honors the thousands of men and women who respond to emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to people in need.

Though the job is vital, it certainly isn’t easy. Tim Dunkle, the Director of Public Safety for Venango County, spoke to exploreVenango.com about some of the challenges the dispatchers face.

“Obviously when we’re getting a call, normally the caller is facing a very difficult time, and they’re not always thinking and rational. It’s a very emotional time for them. Trying to get the caller to calm down and answer the questions they need to answer to get them appropriate help can be hard. You get someone with a loved one having a heart attack, and they just want help.”

“We’re actually very lucky here. Most of the time, unless it is unusually busy, we have two dispatchers on each call. While one person taking is asking questions, the second person is already getting through to the necessary services.”

Dunkle noted that though the dispatchers often don’t find out the final outcome of the calls they take, it can still have its rewarding moments.

“We’ve actually had some dispatchers help deliver babies over the phone.”

Though they appreciate the recognition of what they do, they’re keeping National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week low key in Venango County.

“We just kind of do things among ourselves. Some of the agencies we work with sometimes bring small things in. We’ve gotten a meat and cheese tray, we’ve gotten mugs before, just nice tokens of appreciation. We’ve got a good group of responders, and it’s nice to see them get recognition.”