Bedford Police and Fire to Recognize Emergency Communication Officers

BEDFORD, MA - The Bedford Police and Fire Departments will recognize the town's Emergency Communications Officers (ECOs) during this year's National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Police Chief Robert Bongiorno and Fire Chief David Grunes announced Monday.

Celebrated on April 10-16, the week-long event honors the telecommunications personnel in the public safety community for their hard work and commitment to serving the public.

Bedford's eight ECOs are highly trained to use the state-of-the-art equipment at the town's emergency dispatch center, which has been in operation since April 1997 and receives tens of thousands of calls every year for crimes in progress, hazardous materials incidents, fires, motor vehicle accidents domestic disputes and more.

ECOs support Bedford's police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics, who rely on their top notch skills to assign appropriate resources, improve scene safety and prioritize calls. Every day, they are the first point of contact to victims of accidents, suicidal citizens, and concerned residents. In addition, ECOs perform emergency medical dispatch, directing resources and responders to those in need.

ECOs also gather vital information and calmly report to emergency personnel without error while filling in the blanks from people who are in traumatic situations, those who can't remember where they are, who they are, or what they just saw.

"Our Emergency Communications Officers are the first point of contact for residents in distress," Chief Bongiorno said. "Day in and day out, these highly trained professionals work under pressure, helping people through extremely difficult and potentially life changing circumstances."

"Emergency Communications Officers are often not recognized for the variety of work they do, for a number of different departments in a town," said Chief Grunes. "They make the rest of our jobs possible and deserve to be recognized for it."