The Fayette County Board of Commissioners recognized members of its 911 department at its April 14 regular meeting and learned that some of that staff has received an extraordinary amount of exposure this month.
During the presentation of a proclamation designating April 10-16 as National Telecommunicators Week, 911 director Bernard Brown pointed out that four members of his staff are pictured on a video public service announcement that was playing once every hour during the entire month of April on the giant video screen in New York City’s Times Square.
Brown, who came to Fayette last August, is past president of NENA (National Emergency Number Association) which purchased advertising time on the big screen in Times Square for National Telecommunications Week.
One image from that broadcast, which has 911 personnel from around the country, shows four operators from Fayette County..
When the owner of that facility in New York got word about the purpose of the public service announcement, it made it possible for the message to be broadcast every hour around the clock through the end of April.
During the presentation at the board meeting, the department also recognized Racheal Hurley as the 2015 911 Communications Officer of the Year.
Hurley began her career with Fayette County in August 2013 “and has been a great asset since the day she started,” according to a staff report. “She came to Fayette County with previous dispatch experience, and he supervisors and fellow workers have found working with her to be an immense benefit.
“Officer Hurley goes out of her way to establish positive relationships with the general public, external offices, and agencies. She is extremely dependable and is knowns as the ‘go-to’ person.
She has assisted in the apprehension of a fugitive who was wanted for shooting someone, and has also assisted numerous times in vehicle pursuits, according to staff.
Other proclamations from the commissioners included designating April 22 as Earth Day and noting the county’s April 23 celebration of that event. Amelia Lord was recognized for her graphic design work in creating the Water Guardians logo and T-shirt.
County staff member Lee Ann Bartlett, a senior financial analyst, was cited for earning the Level 1 Local Finance Officer Certification in pursuing professional development in governmental finance, accounting, budgeting, and public finance topics.
The entire finance department was recognized with the presentation of the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Award for Fayette County’s annual budget document for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015 and ending June 30, 2016.
