The Naperville Police and Fire Departments have awarded the 2019 Telecommunicator of the Year Award to Emergency Communications manager Kalah Considine, who retired April 18, after 42 years of service to the City of Naperville.
The announcement of this year’s honoree comes during National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, April 14-20. Initiated by Congress in 1991, this week recognizes the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunications professionals. In addition to awarding the Telecommunicator of the Year, Naperville recognized City Dispatcher Sarah Cowan and 9-1-1 telecommunicators Harold Downs, Allegra Glienke, Nick Nigro and Jordan Sloop for their exemplary service throughout the past year.
The Telecommunicator of the Year Award was presented by the Naperville Police and Fire Chiefs to Kalah Considine in recognition of her 42 years of dedicated service to the Naperville community. Considine began her career in Naperville as a police officer in 1977. She became a dispatcher with the City’s electric department in 1983, was promoted to chief dispatcher in 1999, and assumed her current role as emergency communications manager in 2011.
“Kalah has certainly witnessed the growth and challenges associated with building and maintaining a grade A, state-of-the-art, responsive telecommunication system here in Naperville,” said Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis. “Her diligence, professionalism and attention to detail while always keeping the people of our organization first have succeeded in providing what is truly the top-rated emergency public safety answering point for our residents and the Naperville community. For that, we say thank you and wish her all the very best in a long and healthy retirement.”
—City of Naperville