City Council Newsletter - 03/15/07

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process. Those interested in submitting an application for City of Eugene seasonal employment should contact SELECTEMP directly at 1202 Gateway Loop, Springfield, OR 97477 or call 541-746-6200. For more information, contact Della Diller, Public Works Human Resources, at 541-682-5076. April 8-14 is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week The National Public Safety Telecommunications Week was established in 1981 to honor those who provide critical emergency communication services to citizens and police, fire and EMS responders. Staff are often called the first, ‘first responders.’ Administered by the City of Eugene, Central Lane Communications is a regional 9-1-1 Center serving 89 percent of Lane County. Dedicated staff process 1,300-1,600 calls per day with generally no more than two or three call-takers handling phone lines, while dispatchers deal with police, fire and medics over the air. This year, Central Lane Communications is encouraging its partners and coworkers to take the time to send a card, drop a line or find another way to let the staff know that their work is appreciated. For further information, please contact Kristi Wilde, 9-1- 1 Center, 682-2771. In honor of these dedicated staff, here is a reprint of a portion of a special poem, submitted anonymously: I am the voice that calms the mother into breathing life back into her infant son. I am the invisible hand that holds and comforts the elderly man who woke up this morning to find his wife of 50 years had passed away during the night. I am the friend who talks the disgruntled teenager out of ending her own life. I sent help when you had your first automobile accident. I am the one who tries to obtain the information from callers to ensure that the scene is safe for those I dispatch to emergencies, all the while anticipating the worst and hoping for the best. I have heard the screams of faceless people I will never meet nor forget. I have cried at the atrocities of mankind and rejoiced at the miracles of life. I was there, though unseen by my comrades in the field during the most trying emergencies. I am usually not privy to the outcome of a call, and so I wonder… I am the one who works weekends, strange shifts and holidays. …I am in this vocation by choice…There is comfort in the challenge, integrity and purpose of my employment. I am thankful to provide such a meaningful service. I am a mother, father, sister, brother, son or daughter. I am where you need me and still here when you don’t. My office is never empty, and the work here is never done. I am always on call. The training is strenuous, demanding and endless. No two days at work are ever the same. WHO AM I? I am an emergency dispatcher, and I am proud. Public Works Staff Participate in Annual Employee Recognition and Training Event On February 28, Public Works staff from the Maintenance and Parks and Open Space divisions participated in the annual Safety and Training Day. Each year, this event offers a variety of training classes and an opportunity to honor employees who have been selected to receive one of several awards that recognize working safely, peer appreciation, and employee of the year. The 2007 Employee of the Year awards went to Senior Administrative Specialist Cela Weiss who has worked with the City for 25 years, and Natural Resources Technical Specialist Paul Gordon. For more information, please contact Jeff Lankston, Maintenance director, or Johnny Medlin, Parks and Open Space director at 682-4800. Recreation Employee Climbs Stairs for a Cure th Roi Gershom, a Recreation activity employee at Echo Hollow Pool, finished 254 out of 1,300 participants in Scott Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge held in Seattle March 4. The challenge is a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 March 15, 2007