SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Somerset County 911 is honoring the thousands of men and women who respond to emergency calls to help provide life-saving assistance to community members next week.

Somerset County 911 is celebrating the second full week of April as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services wrote on Facebook. The week is sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and celebrated annually.

Recent events have highlighted the work of telecommunications professionals in Somerset County 911. The center was called to serve the community during the recent outbreaks of severe winter weather. It’s reported there were multiple snow squall warnings that were put in place for Somerset County for March 28. Even with these warning, the Somerset County 911 center processed several calls for service from citizens and travelers involved in transportation accidents due to the poor conditions and limited visability, according to the department.

“The safety of residents and visitors in Somerset County is our number-one concern,” 911 Coordinator Brad Lavan said. “No matter the emergency, our 911 center and its dedicated staff stand ready to answer the call 24/7/365. Annually the Somerset County 911 center answers over 80,000 phone calls with over 30,000 being emergency calls for service. We take pride in the professional team we maintain. Without the people behind the headset, there would be no 911 system. They truly are the first, first responders.”

The Somerset County Board of Commissioners has recognized National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and honored Somerset County 911`s staff by releasing an official proclamation at their official business meeting March 29.

“Our 911 dispatchers and supervisors are the tip of the spear for emergencies,” Director of Emergency Services Joel Landis said. “Often never seen, but always heard, they are the calm voice during the storm. Our 911 administrative staff augments them by providing the fuel needed to keep the operation going and the skills to keep our highly technical systems online. Let us not forget that week in April the men and women of the Somerset County 911 Center.”