Mayor Wilson proclaims Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

Whereas, emergencies requiring police, fire, medical, and alternative response services occur at any time; and prompt call-answering and dispatch for police, fire, medical, and alternative response services is crucial to the protection of life, preservation of property; and 

Whereas, Public Safety Telecommunicators in the City of Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) are the first point of contact for Portlanders’ accessing emergency services; and 

Whereas, in conjunction with the City of Portland’s Public Safety Service Area, BOEC envisions a safe Portland for all; and 

Whereas, BOEC partners with the Public Safety Service Area, the BOEC User Board, and all of Multnomah county’s public safety responders, and BOEC works collaboratively with their community and public safety partners to ensure effective and timely 911 call answering and dispatching; and 

Whereas, BOEC Public Safety Telecommunicators are professionals with extensive training in call-taking, triage, and dispatching protocols for police, fire, medical, and alternative response services; and 

Whereas, BOEC Public Safety Telecommunicators answer 911 and non-emergency phone calls, dispatch responders by radio, and serve as the vital link between Portlanders and public safety responders; and 

Whereas, BOEC Public Safety Telecommunicators have experienced a 35% increase in 911 call volume since 2018, receiving over 622,000 emergency 911 calls and over 311,000 non-emergency calls in 2024; and 

Whereas, BOEC Public Safety Telecommunicators are committed to excellence and consistently display professionalism, resiliency, urgency, and compassion to Portlanders’ public safety needs; and 

Whereas, Portlanders are grateful for the important, life-saving, and time-sensitive work accomplished by BOEC Public Safety Telecommunicators;

Now, therefore, I, Keith Wilson, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the “City of Roses,” do hereby proclaim April 13-19, 2025, to be 

Public Safety Telecommunicators Week 

in Portland and encourage all community members to celebrate their contributions. 

Mayor Keith Wilson

Related: Mayor Wilson hails 911 professionals as "heroes"