PHOTO PROVIDED Pictured, from left, are Commissioner Amber Concepcion, Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins, 911 Dispatcher Brady Lewis, 911 Training Supervisor Kyley Burd, Assistant Director of Emergency Communications Rayme Weidel and Commissioner Steve Dershem.

PHOTO PROVIDED
Pictured, from left, are Commissioner Amber Concepcion, Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins, Jessica Shearer, Karri Hull, Honorable Brian Marshall, Chief Ryan Smeltzer, Tracy Small, Cathy Arbogast, Sheriff Bryan Sampsel and Commissioner Steve Dershem.

BELLEFONTE — The Centre County Commissioners proclaimed April 15-19, 2024 as 9-1-1 Dispatchers Week and recognized the county’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board for their recent award.

This week, which is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, was chosen to honor the dispatchers who serve the people of Centre County everyday.

“This week is very special to us because it’s a time that we get to honor and say thank you to those who answer the call everyday,” said Rayme Weidel, Assistant Director of Emergency Communications.

9-1-1 Dispatchers, who are available 24 hours a day every day of the year, handle everything from simple questions to life and death situations by providing comfort and assistance to strangers in their darkest moments.

“They excel in a role that is extremely difficult, highly stressful and both intellectually and emotionally demanding,” said Weidel. “Even though they can’t see what is happening, the dispatchers are the eyes and ears of every emergency responder on every emergency call.”

According to Weidel, dispatchers answered 130,000 phone calls in 2023, both emergency and non-emergency, clocking in 6,000 hours of overtime across the department.

“There’s been some really heroic efforts from some of our dispatchers where they’ve been part of life-saving calls where they’ve been able to talk people through CPR and even childbirth,” said Commissioner Amber Concepcion, emphasizing the hard work and resilience 9-1-1 dispatchers demonstrate everyday on the job.

At the meeting, the Centre County Board of Commissioners considered approval of a contract with Penn State to provide mutual backup of emergency communications in the event normal service is unavailable, demonstrating their commitment to supporting the work of first responders.

“We appreciate everything you do and we know it’s a lot of hard work,” said Commissioner Steven Dersham. “It is a very important service you provide. It’s our pleasure and our honor to proclaim the week as yours and let you know we all appreciate the hard work you put in and the lives you save,” said Dersham.

Commissioners also took the time to recognize the Centre County Justice Advisory Board for being chosen as recipients of the 2024 Best Practices Award by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency at the 2024 Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) Conference.

CJABs are made of top-level county officials who look at different issues affecting the criminal justice system and recommend best practices to improve that system at the county level. The CJAB has been making recommendations to elected officials, court officials and criminal justice agencies in Centre County for the past 25 years.

To further celebrate the honor, the Board of Commissioners recognized members of the Centre County CJAB, being joined by Honorable Brian Marshall, Judge in the Court of Common Pleas, and Kerri Hull, Director of Criminal Justice Planning. During the Commissioners meeting, Marshall and Hull had the opportunity to speak on behalf of the CJAB and the commissioners praised the CJAB for their contributions to the County.

“This award recognizes the exemplary collaborative efforts and promotion of strategies that support public safety for our citizens of Centre County,” said Hull.

The award was given for the board’s work supporting several initiatives, including the Stepping Up Initiative in the county, a national program to reduce the number of individuals with mental illnesses in carceral settings; the establishment of a behavioral health court in the county; a reentry coalition to reduce recidivism; the Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education initiative; and operating one of the best crisis intervention teams in the Commonwealth.

“Congratulations for all your good work. I think we’ve got such dedicated staff… doing the strategic planning and bringing all of these pieces together. We’re proud of the work you all are doing,” said Commissioner Amber Concepcion.

In other business:

— Approved two contracts for two Title IV-D private attorneys.

— Approved the 4-year plan for Centre County Office of Aging to address the needs of older adults in Centre County.

— Approved the memorandum of understanding for the “Revised Preliminary & Final Land Development Plan” for The Village of Nittany Glen community.

— Approved the installation and monitoring of a panic alarm system for Magisterial District Judge Koehle’s office.

— Approved grant applications/submissions for the Intermediate Punishment Treatment Program and First Episode Psychosis Program.

— Approved the writing of letters of support for the ClearWater Conservancy and Central Intermediate Unit 10.

— Approved several routine contracts.