MANTORVILLE, Minn. - It's one of the most important jobs during an emergency - a 911 dispatcher.
Despite their importance, the job is also one of the most underrated professions in public safety.
This week, dispatchers are being celebrated during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

"Their job is very, very stressful," said Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose.

In Dodge County, dispatchers are in constant communication with all law enforcement agencies and first responders.
While the role of a dispatcher is already stressful, the Minnesota winters haven't made it any easier.

“It's not like a 9-1-1 dispatcher can call into work and say,' hey, the roads are bad I can’t come into work today,' ” said Matt Maas.

Matthew Maas is the county’s emergency director who says the job requires personal sacrifice to ensure others stay safe.

“They have to be there we need to be able to maintain and keep that running, and if we're not able to transport and get people to and from work and then people will have to stay and work an extra shift,” he said.