ROCKLAND — At their regular meeting in chambers at the Knox County Courthouse April 12, the Knox County Commissioners presented two county dispatchers commendations for their role in handling a double fatality that happened March 18 in Washington. The commendations followed a proclamation calling for April 10 through April 16 as National Telecommunicator’s Week.

According to Linwood Lothrop, director of Knox Regional Communications, the double fatality occurred at 4:47 p.m., March 18.

“This incident, traumatic in itself put additional strain on the center by generating an overwhelming volume of 911 calls to report this incident,” he said. “This call also required the dispatching of multiple mutual aid units and the coordination of two LifeFlight helicopters to the scene of the accident.”

Lothrop said dispatcher John Gamage and dispatch supervisor Melissa Simmons remained calm and handled all requests in an expedient manner while fielding 435 telephone calls with 33 other emergencies throughout the county.

“The speed and accuracy of dispatching as a team during the incident aided in a quick response of public safety agencies to provide the proper level of aid,” he said.

Lothrop said he received feedback from several people, both in the public safety family and citizens that were impressed with the way the call was handled by the staff.

“Even though this call involved two fatalities, others in the public safety arena can take away a positive because dispatcher Gamage and supervisor Simmons set the example of how well teamwork, command structure and attention to detail can make even the worst events go smoother,” he said.

All those county dispatchers present during the meeting received a token of appreciation by the council members. Gamage and Simmons received certificates commending their actions.

Lothrop said Gamage and Simmons have held their positions as dispatchers with the county going on 12 years.