The process of publicizing National Telecommunicator Week should begin early, with notifications to the media of what will occur, when and who will be involved. Subsequent press releases should focus on the communications center itself, providing an explanation of the technology and personnel. When dispatchers are selected for honors or awards, they should be profiled and mentioned in press releases. Lastly, if your agency has events, including an awards banquet, the event should be announced before it occurs, and then documented afterwards.

We've assembled some sample press releases that you can use directly, or as starting points for your own writing skills.

Press releases should be short, to the point and contain only the significant details that would attract the attention of a print editor or radio/TV news director. You should stress the visual, audible or personal aspects of the particular story you are writing about. Press releases are usually no more than two pages long, double-spaced and always include a direct telephone where the reporter or news director can obtain more information. You can accompany the press release with a fact sheet, which is a simple list of information about the center---we've included a sample fact sheet with the first press release sample.

The Oaktown Police-Fire Communication Center will be celebrating National Telecommunicators Week during the second week of April, 1998. The center's 32 Public Safety Dispatchers (PSDs) handle over 250,000 emergency 911 and non-emergency telephone calls each year for the city's police, fire and EMS agency. They also dispatch and coordinate the city's police patrol officers, fire units and ambulances---last year they dispatched 78,412 incidents with an average response time of four minutes for the highest priority incidents.

To honor the dispatchers, Oaktown will have an awards dinner on April 18th at 8 p.m., at the Royal Inn. During the dinner, the center's Dispatcher of the Year Award will be given and several other dispatchers will be honored for their achievements.

The center will have an open house during the evenings of April 16th and 17th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Residents of Oaktown can tour the center, view a video on its operation, and meet and talk to some of the PSDs that answer their 911 and non-emergency calls. Brochures on appropriate 911 use will be handed out to adults and children will receive a coloring book that encourages them to use 911 only for emergencies.

For information about the communications center or the week's events, please contact Joe Thompson, Director of Communications, (715) 555-8021.

Number of employees: 32 civilian Public Safety Dispatchers (PSDs)
Budget: $632,820
Annual PSD pay: $22,802
Training: six weeks of initial training, one-year probationary period
Average length of service: 14 years
Annual in-service training: average of 22 hours per PSD
Consoles: six, made by Motorola
Radio channels: 3 police, 4 fire, 1 EMS
Units coordinated: usual staffing is 18 police beat officers, 9 fire companies with 32 firefighters, two ambulances with four paramedics
Telephone calls received: 50,000 on 911, 200,000 on non-emergency and other lines
Incidents dispatched: 78,412 during 1996. Of those, about 21,000 were Priority 1 incidents dispatched within less than four minutes.
Vehicles towed: 2,218

Weeks Before

The Oaktown Police-Fire Communications announces that it will hold an open house for the public on Wednesday April 16th, and Thursday April 17th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each night. Adult and youth residents of Oaktown are invited to come to the front counter of the police station, 1802 N. Main St. on those nights, where they will be greeted by a Public Safety Dispatcher. Visitors will be given a tour of the center, view a video that explains the tasks and skills of PSDs, and also receive some material explaining the proper use of 911 to report emergencies. The center will also be serving some light refreshments during the tour. For information about the communications center or the week's events, please contact Joe Thompson, Director of Communications, (715) 555-8021.

The Oaktown Police-Fire Communications announces that it will hold an annual awards banquet at the Royal Inn on Friday, April 18th to honor the Public Safety Dispatchers (PSDs) who staff the police-fire-EMS communications center. During the dinner, the center's Dispatcher of the Year Award will be given and several other dispatchers will be honored for their achievements. The Dispatcher of the Year award is given to that person who showed exemplary professionalism during the year, either through a specific incident or day-to-day operations. Police Chief William Johnson, Fire Chief Burt Keller and EMS Director Phillip Hedge will attend the dinner and preside over the awards. The MC for the dinner will be Harold Slavin, former director of the State Patrol. For information about the communications center or the week's events, please contact Joe Thompson, Director of Communications, (715) 555-8021.

Day After Banquet

The Oaktown Police-Fire Department is proud to honor Edward Wilkie, recipient of the annual Dispatcher of the Year Award, at the city's awards banquet last night at the Royal Inn. Over 125 persons were in attendance as the award was presented to Wilkie by Police Chief William Johnson, Fire Chief Burt Keller and EMS Director Phillip Hedge. Wilkie was selected by his peers from among 32 Public Safety Dispatchers who staff the city's emergency communications center. Wilkie is a 13-year veteran who was honored for his continuous pursuit of excellence, his dedication and professionalism. He joined the police-fire comm center in 1984 after 12 years as a Coast Guard rescue pilot. He lives in Oaktown with his wife and three children.

Also honored at the banquet was Linda Schiller, a 22-year veteran who revamped and improved the communication center's training program, which has led to a 75% increase in the number of successful candidates for the job.

For information about the communications center or the awards, please contact Joe Thompson, Director of Communications, (715) 555-8021.