The Hollis Police Department Joins a Grateful Community in Recognizing National Dispatcher Appreciation Week
This week is Dispatcher Appreciation Week. Emergency Public Safety Telecommunicators (Dispatchers) are the first people you talk to when you call with a crisis. Even though dispatchers can't see what’s happening, they are the eyes and ears of emergency responders—our guiding angels who ensure that the right responders get to an emergency as fast as possible, and who keep responders safe as they help people in crisis.
This year, celebrating Dispatcher Appreciation Week in Hollis has two purposes: first, to recognize the countless, everyday ways dispatchers keep people safe, and second, to honor one dispatcher who was instrumental in protecting people in the Towns of Hollis, Brookline, and Mason.
Sadly, a year ago we lost dispatcher Robert 'Bob' Gavin after a brief illness. Bob had been a dispatcher for our department for many years, and his kindness, humor, and dedication to service are missed everyday.
Bob was one of many Public Safety Telecommunicators in Hollis and elsewhere, who work long hours to ensure our safety, and I am one of many first responders who is incredibly grateful.
As I prepared this post, I found a letter written by a law enforcement professional in another part of the United States, that truly expresses the feeling police officers, fire fighters, paramedics/EMS, and DPW workers have for our Public Safety Telecommunicators.