The Unseen Heroes of the Holidays

While many of us gather with our loved ones, enjoy festive meals and wind down after an exhausting period of work, first responders around the world don’t take a break.

Instead, they sacrifice family time for the public good. While we may see our firefighters and police officers responding to calls for service, let’s not forget the unseen heroes: our 911 and emergency services telecommunicators, dispatchers, and operators.

These dedicated individuals work tirelessly to make sure that emergency services are just a call away. Today we would like to honor their work and say thank you for their selflessness, compassion, and commitment for the well-being of others.

Although we cannot take the holiday shift for them, we work all year round to provide them with the technology they need to make their job easier.

911 communicators are in the frontline of public safety services playing a crucial role in coordinating emergency responses. They witness the rawest moments of life, while they have to stay calm at all times to be able to think clearly, comfort distressed callers and guide them through life-saving drills such as CPR.

The emotional toll of their job is immense and in the midst of holiday joy we should all take a moment to express gratitude to those who form the unseen backbone of emergency response. And let’s not forget that behind every public safety telecommunicator there’s a family who understands their dedication.

Verint’s Public Safety Solutions Consultant, Casey Rives, knows these hardships very well as she used to work in a 911 answering point for over ten years and has family members who still provide public safety services. This is her message:

“Although I won’t be working this Christmas, I will still be celebrating Christmas on a different day since our house is still a public safety household—with a Christmas shift to work. I understand your sacrifice and thank you for your strength in continuing to keep our communities safe.

Thank you to all our public safety personnel for your constant selflessness and a special thanks to those behind the headset: The first of the first responders, our 911 calltakers and dispatchers. Happy Holidays and be safe!”