Melanie Huschka

Sandy Lovetinsky

The people who answer a 911 call are the first responders in any incident, and lay the path for how well an emergency is handled.

It’s National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, honoring those who answer emergency calls, dispatch emergency personnel and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to citizens across the nation. The Washington County Communications Center is celebrating this week for the second year in their new facilities with some special treats and games for the staff while they continue to respond to any emergency that occurs no matter the time of day. Melanie Huschka recently received a milestone award for 20 years of service for Washington County at the annual Iowa Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials conference, along with Sandy Lovetinsky who’s given 30 years of service. While the technological needs and number of calls have grown in her 20 years on the job, Huschka has no desire in putting down her headset, “It’s almost like second nature now, I don’t foresee myself trying to navigate away from here because this is my law enforcement family. The group of people that I work with is my other family and I feel like this is my niche, I’ve found it, so this is what I enjoy.”

Washington County currently has 12 telecommunicators with over 150 years of experience answering your calls every day. Supervisor Cara Sorrells says she is extremely proud of the entire staff for their dedication, and they thank the numerous partners they communicate with every day who help them do their job. You can hear more from Huschka during today’s Halcyon House Washington Page on air and at kciiradio.com.

Washington County Communications Center Staff:

Cara Sorrells, Sandy Lovetinsky, Teresa Todd, Melanie Huschka, Issak Kleese, Shelley Reed-Wulf, Brittany Stutzman, Hunter Erwin, Delainey Parish, Riley Thomann, Unity Stevens, and Susan Holub