TPA honors the heroes behind the headsets

When we think of public safety heroes, police officers, firefighters and paramedics are among the first that come to mind. But behind each emergency situation, there is often a call for help or a dispatcher who must clearly and accurately get emergency crews where they need to go quickly.

Tampa International Airport has its own set of telecommunicators who work behind the scenes inside the Airport Operations Center, dispatching its own police and firefighters, along with operations crews, for any issues that come up on the runway or inside the airport terminals. It’s a demanding job that can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

This week, TPA is among the many organizations and agencies across the country recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.  It’s a time for people across America to remember and thank these heroes behind the headsets who calmly take calls, gather information and pass along the details to first responders who keep our communities and airports safe.

Tampa International Airport has around 30 telecommunicators who cover shifts around the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TPA salutes these brave and highly skilled men and women for all their hard work and many nights, weekends and holidays spent away from their families to keep us all safe while traveling or working at the Airport.