Fairfield Police Department’s Emergency Communications Center, which is home to the department’s 15 telecommunicators, is located in the Fairfield Police Department headquarters and serves both police and fire. (Photo courtesy Fairfield Police Department) 
Fairfield’s First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick (left) presents Telecommunicator Lynn Erazmus with the Distinguished Service Medal in September 2020. (Photo courtesy Fairfield Police Department)
FAIRFIELD — Chief Robert Kalamaras and the Fairfield Police Department wish to recognize the town’s public safety dispatchers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
During the week of April 11-17, public safety agencies take time to reflect on the critical role telecommunications professionals play in supporting first responders. The week, sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, honors the thousands of men and women across the country who respond to emergency calls, dispatch first responders and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to residents.
“Without our emergency dispatchers, we would not have the ability to perform our jobs as efficiently and effectively as we do,” Chief Kalamaras said. “Our dispatchers perform the important task of answering our emergency calls and receiving vital information which they relay to us all while remaining calm and focused. These individuals are truly the unsung heroes of our department and we would like to recognize and thank them for all that they do.”
Fairfield’s Emergency Telecommunicator professionals are specially trained and handle thousands of calls for service every year. While their work is done outside of the view of the public, they are an essential resource for first responders and the public alike and serve as the first point of contact for members of the public seeking help in an emergency…the First, First Responder!
At the Fairfield Emergency Communications Center (ECC), which is the primary call center for both police and fire, dispatchers receive 911 emergency and non-emergency calls.
The Fairfield ECC handles approximately 18,833 911 calls and 90,000 non-emergency telephone calls per year. Of those calls, 95% are answered in under just ten seconds. In 2020 alone, the ECC dispatched 44,439 calls for service.
The Fairfield Police Department would like to thank the following 911 dispatchers for their hard work and dedication: Russell Atkins, John Carideo, Kyle Champney, Katherine Conlin, Susana DeMoura, Jennifer DiJoseph, Lynn Erazmus, Martha Kuczo, Maria Lobo, Devin Mulligan, Fatima Quiroz, Robert Rindgen and Elizabeth Rodriguez.
Special Recognitions
The Fairfield Police Department would also like to specially recognize the following Fairfield 911 dispatchers for their outstanding work:
- Jennifer DiJoseph: 10-year telecommunicator veteran Jen DiJoseph, who also serves as an EMT in her hometown of Trumbull, was awarded the Connecticut EMS Council of Presidents’ (CORPs’) George G. Ganung Volunteer of the Year Award. In recognition of this honor, Fairfield’s First Selectman proclaimed July 10, 2019, as Jennifer DiJoseph Day in Fairfield. She also remains active on her days off, administering COVID-19 vaccinations to members of her community throughout the Greater Bridgeport Area.
- Kyle Champney: Champney serves his telecommunicator brothers and sisters as a member of the Atlantic Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO). He serves on the Chapter’s Awards and Professional Communications Human Resources Committee.
- Lynn Erazmus: 30-year veteran Lynn Erazmus received the American Red Cross’ Life Saver Award for her work in successfully guiding first responders to a hunter who suffered a heart attack while stuck in a tree within a heavily wooded area. The hunter could provide only minimal information, but using her experience, knowledge and persistence, she was arguably singularly responsible for the happy outcome. Additionally, Telecommunicator Erazmus was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in September 2020.
Fairfield Police would also like to thank its telecommunicators who have played a crucial and invaluable role in the planning phase of the department’s joint effort to create a new combined public safety dispatch center with the Town of Westport. The department’s telecommunicators throughout the process have helped to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.
To learn more about Fairfield’s ECC and its dispatchers, click here.
About APCO International
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It sponsors National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week each year.
It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide — and the public welfare – by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.
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