Two 911 employeesreceive an award

JJ Melton Staff writer, The Laurinburg Exchange, N.C.
·3 min read

Apr. 16—Courtesy photo

Amanda David received the Telecommunicator of the Year award, one of her nominators said she is always willing to teach and help others.

Courtesy photo

Bill Edge was the recipient of the Supervisor of the Year award for 2020. Beside him stands 911 Director Mike Edge.

LAURINBURG —Each year during National Public-Safety Telecommunicators Week, those in charge at the Scotland County Emergency Operations building make sure to show appreciation for the hardworking men and women who make up Scotland County Emergency Communications.

"We try to make it fun by having themed days such as pajama day and sports day," said Assistant Director Samantha Dutch. "We also host a dinner where awards, gifts and prizes are given out. This year our dinner was on Wednesday at the Emergency Operations Center."

In the months prior, administration asked their staff to begin nominations for Telecommunicator of the Year and Supervisor of the Year.

"We have criteria laid out these individuals must meet," said Dutch. "This year's Telecommunicator of the Year award went to Amanda David. One of her nominations said this, 'Amanda is a great employee who is always trying to teach and help others. Amanda brings a wealth of knowledge and is constantly trying to grow. She has evolved into a great telecommunicator who also steps into the role of supervisor when there is no one available.'"

The award for Supervisor of the Year went to William (Bill) Edge.

"One of his nominations said this, 'Bill takes time to explain the things we do not always understand. He listens. He follows up and is very interactive with each one on the shift. He sets aside time, or tries to, each month to ask about us, how we are doing and makes us feel like we have a say. He is very supportive and looks out for his people, making sure things are going well, physically and mentally. He gives us praise, publicly when we do well, and will sit us down privately when we don't. He holds his people to a higher standard and holds himself to the same,'" said Dutch.

According to Dutch, in response to being the recipient of this award, Bill stated, "I've been recognized over the years for my work in emergency services, Fire, EMS and Law Enforcement and I appreciated the honors, but I don't think any of those equal the one I received today. I've always said this is without a doubt the most stressful job I've ever done, but it's something I love to do."

National Public-Safety Telecommunicators Week means many things for the men and women in this profession.

"Our profession is widely misunderstood, so having a week set aside to celebrate and bring awareness to the things these people do day in and day out is important," said Dutch. "Because of the nature of the job telecommunicators are often forgotten about when it comes to bringing awareness to or thanking those that protect our communities on a regular basis.

"We do want to take a moment to thank those with the city of Laurinburg Fire Department and city of Laurinburg Police Department for the 'thank you' videos they made for our staff," said Dutch. "It was genuinely moving and very much appreciated."

JJ Melton can be reached at [email protected] To support the Laurinburg Exchange, subscribe here: https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/subscribe.