Rankin County thanks dispatchers with donated meals

Rankin County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi thanked a local resident and a restaurant for providing meals to its dispatchers during Emergency Telecommunicator Appreciation Week, the agency said in a Facebook post.

The post said Tina Berryhill provided Chick-fil-A for dispatch staff and Dickey’s Restaurant supplied barbecue sandwiches to the office’s communications team. The sheriff’s office expressed appreciation for the donations in the social media message.

Emergency telecommunicators, often known as 911 dispatchers, play a central role in public safety by answering emergency calls and coordinating police, fire and medical responses. Agencies across the country observe an appreciation week each year to recognize the often unseen, high-pressure work performed by dispatchers.

Community gestures such as donated meals are common ways to acknowledge the stresses and long hours of communications personnel and can boost morale among staff who work around the clock. We will provide more information as it becomes available.