Kitsap County CENCOM workers honored

BREMERTON — Two employees of Kitsap County Central Communications, or CENCOM, have received top honors from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials.

Donna Kelly was named Telecommunicator of the Year. Ken Sala was named top Communications Information Technician for 2012.

Kelly, a CENCOM employee for 14 years, has several roles, among them: primary call receiver, communications training officer, and dispatch instructor for EMS call training.

“She is the personification of a great call receiver,” CENCOM director Richard Kirton said.

“Being a 911 call receiver is not an easy job — you have to be at your best during what are often a caller’s worst moments. Donna is always reassuring and calm under pressure and uses her years of knowledge to nurture less-experienced colleagues.”

Sala has worked for CENCOM for six years and has become the backbone of the center’s IT operations. He is responsible for the design, repair, installation, and maintenance of all electronic systems. In addition, he conducts monthly training sessions for other employees.

“Ken is a fantastic technician and an even better employee,” Kirton said. “He seems to know something about everything, and everything about most things technical. This knowledge and his willingness to go above and beyond has saved this department tens of thousands of dollars.”

CENCOM is responsible for answering all 911 and non-emergency calls for police, fire, emergency medical and animal control services in Kitsap County.

 

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