There are several heroes in Troup County, and it’s likely most people have never met them or know their names.

Just like the rest of us, when their workday is over, they go home to their families, go to the grocery store for food and attend community events.

However, when they go to work, they are the most important person to us when an emergency occurs. We’re talking about the men and women telecommunicators at the Troup County 911 Office.

Many of us hope never to have to talk to these people in a professional setting because that would most likely mean a tragedy has happened, but if we ever do, it’s good to know that the people here are top-notch.

The day of a dispatcher or telecommunicator could range from a routine fender bender at Walmart to a distressed parent calling in because their newborn baby isn’t breathing.

Those could be back-to-back calls, so they have to be prepared for anything when the phone rings. They also don’t have time to prepare for the call. Once a call is made, a telecommunicator picks up the phone and goes straight to work taking down all pertinent information needed for additional first responders.

Sunday started National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and it will run throughout the week.

We appreciate the work of local telecommunicators and thank them for the work they do behind the scenes every day.