Sheriff Koon's column: The Voices That Guide Us

Lexington, SC - 04/15/2021 (Sheriff Jay Koon) - We couldn’t do what we do without our dispatchers.

They direct us to calls for service, gather vital information and serve as the connection between the public and our deputies.

They meet frantic emergency calls with calming voices.

We are celebrating and honoring telecommunicators and dispatchers across our nation and hometowns this week, especially those in the Lexington County Communications Center. These men and women play a vital role in coordinating emergency and nonemergency communications when our citizens, visitors, deputies, firefighters and paramedics need them the most.

Lexington County Communications is also responsible for dispatching and monitoring the safety of 20 agencies full-time and four agencies after-hours. LCCC operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customer service is their top priority.

Telecommunicators serve as the link between police, fire, EMS and you. In fact, they also maintain records and provide medical pre-arrival instructions to assist callers in giving help to the sick and injured before medical personnel arrive.

You may have to call 9-1-1 to report a crime in progress, to report a fire, to save a life and even to report a motor vehicle collision with injuries. Lexington County 9-1-1 Dispatchers are South Carolina State Certified and trained to ask questions that will help locate, prioritize and initiate a quick response to your call. To learn more, please visit: lex-co.sc.gov.

To all of the Lexington County telecommunicating professionals: thank you for your hard work, dedication and service to our community!