Each year, 911 operators handle thousands of emergency calls.

Their responses to those calls range from dispatching police officers, fire and medical units to coordinating with surrounding agencies.

This week marks National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which recognizes the men and women who dispatch needed resources to emergency and non-emergency calls.

“Sometimes we overlook the importance of our communications personnel,” said Kannapolis Police Chief Woody Chavis.

“They are the lifeline for the public when they are in distress and supply our officers and firefighters with vital information in the field during life and death situations with no margin for error,” he said.

Chavis said telecommunicators can handle stressful situations, including communicating with distraught and irate citizens with compassion and professionalism, on a daily basis.

Spencer Police Chief Mike James also said he was appreciative of the work the telecommunicators do for the police department, “24 hours a day to keep everyone safe.”

James said he salutes all the 911 personnel for their “hard work and dedication to duty.”

In 2015, Kannapolis Police Department telecommunicators answered 98.9 percent of the 911 calls within an average of three seconds or less. They dispatched 57,040 calls for service and answered 14,558 emergency calls, 82,018 non-emergency calls.

Telecommunicators are also responsible for entering information for wanted and missing people into the National Crime Information Center’s database.

The following Kannapolis telecommunicators were recognized:

• Becky Patterson, shift supervisor, 29 years

• Myra Wallace, shift supervisor, 22 years

• Heather Clay, shift supervisor, 10 years

• Haley Flesher, shift supervisor, five years

• Jason Goodman, telecommunicator, 15 years

• Susan Martin, telecommunicator, 13 years

• Johnny Caudle, telecommunicator, 13 years

• Hollie Morton, telecommunicator, five years

• Anglea Yates, telecommunicator, 14 years

• Candice Wilhelm, telecommunicator, four years

• Heather Wagner, telecommunicator, two years

• Shari Whiting, telecommunicator, two years

• Samantha Tomeck, telecommunicator, one year

• Tori Spears, telecommunicator, one year

• Angela Miller, telecommunicator, one year

• Jennifer Frieze, telecommunicator, one year