In many newsrooms, there is a police scanner on most of the time, alerting us to events involving first responders that might also turn into news stories. Because we hear so much of the traffic that comes across each day, we have a window onto the incredible work done by dispatchers on behalf of both the rest of the first responders and the public.

It’s gratifying, then, to learn that Washington County has become the first in Ohio to formally recognize 911 telecommunicators as first responders.

County commissioners passed a resolution last week that officially acknowledged them as such.

“Washington County is proud to be the First Settlement in Ohio, and today we continue that pioneering legacy by being the first to lead the way in recognizing these heroes,” it reads.

For many people, their first contact with first responders is a call to 911. And that call could be anything — requiring the assistance of an ambulance crew, the fire department or the police department. It’s up to dispatchers to instruct the people on the other end of the line while also figuring out who (if anyone) needs to respond, and then which units from the correct department are available to do so. They are life-savers who can handle a crisis and complicated logistics at the same time. And they do it calmly and professionally, under strain most of us could not handle

“For far too long, 911 dispatchers have worked behind the scenes–calmly guiding people through their darkest moments–without the recognition or support given to traditional first responders,” said 911 Director Douglas Moore, 911. “We’re proud that Washington County, the first county established in Ohio, is also the first to step forward and give 911 telecommunicators the respect they deserve.”

West Virginia is among the states that already recognizes dispatchers as first responders. Perhaps Washington County can serve as the example that spurs Ohio to do the same.