In an emergency when lives are at risk, FDNY dispatchers are the first response, collecting information and making sure help is getting where it needs to go, as quickly as possible. EMT Dale Bartolomeo with Emergency Medical Dispatch says dispatchers are the “silent heroes.” For National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, we thank our dispatchers who answer thousands of calls each day. They are unseen, but they always provide a comforting presence, and often, lifesaving instructions. “You’re