HONESDALE, PA — The people who field frantic phone calls and sort out vital information to get the right help to the right places were honored last Thursday.

Dispatchers from the Wayne County 911 Center were recognized as the county commissioners proclaimed the week of April 12 to 18 as Public Safety Telecommunications Week.

The ceremonies were highlighted with the naming of dispatcher Matthew Cerra as Dispatcher of the Year.

As the 911 Center is not an agency able to call in mutual aid for help, Supervisor Betsy Turner noted that some of her staff had to stay on duty and could not attend.

Commissioner Jonathan Fritz highlighted the technical nature of their work. “The headsets and all the monitors; it’s all overwhelming to me. You have to keep all of the pieces of the puzzle together,” he said.

Commissioners Chair Brian Smith noted that work often involves sitting at the wait for hours and knowing what to do when the call comes. “Our number-one responsibility as commissioners is public safety and we honor your incredible dedication… You save many homes and lives. It’s a difficult job, often criticized, and your confidence and proficiency are commendable. I hope the public appreciates your efforts, because we sure do,” he said for the panel.

Commissioner Wendell Kay admired the dispatchers’ sense of camaraderie. “I’d like to see that at our other offices,” he said.

In other business, the commissioners approved a letter of support for the Wayne-Pike Workforce Training Center’s application for U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to expand its training facility, and approved, following the county engineer’s review, the $330,328 bid from Dakan Enterprises of Honesdale, to construct a two-story adult day-care facility at the Hawley Senior Citizens Center.