LEWISTON — Every year during the second week of April, the telecommunications personnel in the public safety community are honored. The week-long event, initially set up in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California, is a time to celebrate and thank those who dedicate their lives to serving the public.

During the week the dispatchers at Lewiston Auburn 911 will have a week-long celebration filled with activities, food and gifts provided by the administrative staff.

Public safety dispatchers are the first, first responders. They are the people on the other end of the phone when you dial 9-1-1. They are the “behind the scenes” heroes of public safety.

In 1979, the cities of Lewiston and Auburn agreed to create a jointly funded 911 center. The Lewiston Auburn 911 Emergency Communications Center has been taking calls in the Minot Avenue facility since 1996. Lewiston Auburn 911 currently answers and dispatches calls for Lewiston, Auburn and Poland and is the only CALEA accredited communications center in Maine. The Lewiston Auburn 911 telecommunicators have answered over 10,000 9-1-1 calls during the first quarter of 2019.