Contributed photo.

Could you answer your work phone each time it rings not knowing if it is a call for a vehicle unlock or for a fatal car accident? For the staff at the Washington County E911 Center that is what every day is like. This week is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. Cara Sorrells, director of the Washington County center, explains a telecommunicator is the person that answers the phone when a 911 call comes in and directs the needed authorities to the instance. She explains telecommunicators go through months of training but it can still be nerve-wracking answering the phone.

She adds with cell phones widely used more calls come in for a single incident, such as a car accident. Also, texts to 911 should be available in Washington County by the end of the year.

Sorrells thanks her staff for their hard work.