Dispatchers went down to Springdale to celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week by splattering each other with bright yellow bits of paint flung at 200 miles per hour.
"Those things hurt like a mother on bare skin," dispatcher Alisha Shockley said after a round of paintball and at least one arm shot.
Dispatch supervisor Christy Terry said she was trying to think of a good team building exercise that would be fun and help dispatchers build teamwork -- paintball seemed like a good fit and everyone seemed to have a good time.
"That's the main goal -- just get them out of there and have fun together," she said. "They do a very important job."
Bella Vista police chief James Graves agreed that the work is important. Moreover, he said, dispatchers are less visible than officers or EMS workers who are out in the field, but their jobs are just as essential.
The week is an excellent chance to celebrate their work, he said, and show that the department appreciates them.
"I'm grateful for all they do," he said.
General News on 04/24/2019