911 operators going to Florida to help with hurricane relief

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Six Telecommunicators from Hamilton County leave on Monday to help in the recovery from Hurricane Irma.

The 9-1-1 employees are responding to a mutual aid assistance call in Florida.

They will help ease the shifts for Florida 9-1-1 operators who have been pulling overtime since the hurricane hit.

They are part of the TERT program (Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce), which provides emergency assistance for 9-1-1 centers across the country.

According to a release from Hamilton County, “It is important to note that deployed Telecommunicators are not “taking over” but helping shoulder the burden of the local 9-1-1 centers who have been working non-stop since the time of impact even while their homes, families and friends may have been impacted by the disaster.”

Team loaded up with food & water prior to heading out