NAPERVILLE NEWS | Naperville Announces Telecommunicator of the Year

NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEKL OBSERVED APRIL 8-14

NAPERVILLE — Fifty years ago, the first 9-1-1 call was placed in Haleyville, Alabama. Less than a decade later, Naperville began accepting 9-1-1 calls, and the industry continues to evolve with emerging technologies. Naperville’s telecommunicators are observing National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week from Sunday, April 8 through Saturday, April 14. Congress initiated this week in 1991 to nationally recognize dispatchers for their efforts.

Naperville annually recognizes a Telecommunicator of the Year and recently presented the award to the 2018 recipient, Margaret “Maggie” Kochurka. Maggie has served our community in the Naperville Public Safety Answering Point for 20 years. She is a Lead Telecommunicator, a Certified Training Officer, and last year, Maggie provided valuable support to the organization as the Administrative Telecommunicator. She was commended for performance excellence and support to other departmental units throughout 2017.

“We are pleased to recognize our Telecommunicator of the Year, Maggie Kochurka, along with our entire team of telecommunicators. Although we are fortunate to work and live in a very safe community, when Police, Fire or Emergency Medical assistance is needed, the “first” First Responder is almost always the 9-1-1 call taker. It is critical to properly assess and accurately dispatch our police and fire units. We are proud to have a very skilled telecommunications staff in Naperville along with advanced technologies, in order to provide the highest level of service to this community,” Communications Manager Kalah Considine said. “This profession requires intense training and specific talent in order to excel at multi-tasking in a wide variety of stressful and ever-changing situations. Honoring the work of these individuals is important, and we are happy to be able to do so.”

With 26 telecommunicators and four supervisors, Naperville’s Nationally Accredited 9-1-1 dispatch center is staffed to handle emergency and non-emergency phone calls and police/fire incidents. The Naperville Public Safety Answering Point Telecommunicators answer a daily average of 140 e9-1-1 calls and 500 non-emergency calls. Additionally, they handle the dispatching of approximately 88,000 police events and 14,000 fire/emergency medical incidents annually.

Above Photo Caption (from left): Emergency Communications Supervisor Stacey Edwards, Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis, Telecommunicator Margaret “Maggie” Kochurka, and Police Chief Robert Marshall.

About Naperville: Located 28 miles west of Chicago, Naperville, Ill., is home to approximately 145,000 people. This vibrant, thriving City consistently ranks as a top community in the nation in which to live, raise children and retire. The City is home to acclaimed public and parochial schools, the best public library system in the country, an array of healthcare options and an exceptionally low crime rate. Naperville has ready access to a variety of public transportation, housing and employment options. The City’s diversified employer base features high technology firms, retailers and factories, as well as small and home-based businesses. Residents also enjoy world-class parks, diverse worship options, the opportunity to serve on several City boards and commissions, a thriving downtown shopping and dining area, a renowned outdoor history museum known as Naper Settlement and an active civic community. For more information, please visit our website at www.naperville.il.us.

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