This news item expired on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
National Public Safety Telecommunications Week is April 9-15, and Buncombe County is celebrating by profiling some of our 911 dispatch team. The demands of Public Safety Telecommunications make it a challenging and rewarding job. Being the first, first responder takes a special type of person, and Buncombe County is proud to highlight some of our amazing 911 staff in their own words. Thanks to all our Public Safety Telecommunicators for your dedication to helping keep our community safe.
Interested in joining the County’s Public Safety Telecommunications Team? Click here for more information.
Name: Amber Williams Valdes
Position: Telecommunicator Supervisor
Years as a Public Safety Telecommunicator: Seven
What is your favorite part of the job?
There will never be two days that are exactly the same and I will never stop learning at this job. This job has taught me many things that I have taken into many other aspects of my life. As well as building relationships within the community that I serve.
What would you like the public to know about your job
Telecommunicators are more than people that answer phones. We are highly skilled and trained individuals that will get people the help that they need as soon as we get the information that we need. When we ask you questions it is not to annoy you, we are relying on you to let us know what you need for us to help you. Mass media has greatly mispresented the 911 technology, we cannot tell where you are without your help the way they can in the movies. We try, but it just isn’t as easy as they make it.
We are doing our best to make sure that you and your family get the help that you need as quickly as possible however you are a big part of that as well.