GOSHEN- Several Orange County 911 dispatchers and supervisors were presented with meritorious service awards last week for their exemplary work during September’s Farmingdale High bus accident on Interstate 84 in the Town of Wawayanda. The awards were presented by Commissioner of Emergency Services Peter Cirigliano II and County Executive Steven Neuhaus, who created the award in 2018 to honor first responders who keep the county safe.
“The call volume on the day of the Farmingdale bus crash was heavy, but as always, our 911 dispatchers remained calm and collected,” Neuhaus said. “They played an integral role in the response to the emergency and I am proud of the work that these men and women conduct every day. I thank our 911 dispatchers for their quick-thinking and commend them for the effort that they put forth and the pride that they take in serving Orange County residents.”
Forty-five people were injured and two were killed in the bus crash on September 21st. The accident claimed the lives of the school’s band director and an adult chaperone on the trip and sent most students to area hospitals.
Public Safety dispatchers at the County’s Emergency Service Center answer 911 calls 24 hours a day. As part of their duties and responsibilities, they receive emergency and non-emergency telephone calls from the public and transmit emergency information to firefighters, medical personnel, law enforcement officers, and needed equipment in the shortest possible time, while maintaining a calm demeanor in high-stress situations.
Dispatchers also maintain radio communications with public safety personnel responding to the emergency. These men and women are required to monitor numerous telephone and alarm systems and radio frequencies simultaneously and must exercise sound independent judgment in prioritizing calls and dispatching appropriate emergency services as quickly as possible.
“Daily, the 911 Emergency Communications staff of Orange…
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