Marshall County Dispatcher Jim Budd was recently recognized as the Indiana Association of Public Safety Communications Officers Telecommunicator of the Year.
The award is given to one dispatcher in the State of Indiana each year.
Budd has been a dispatcher at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department since July 16, 2007. In a news release submitted by Sheriff Matt Hassel, Budd has gone through rough cancer treatment over the past two years. Even though he was battling cancer and very sick, he showed up for work and continues to be dedicated to the residents and his fellow employees.
Outside of work, Budd spends a great amount of time raising money for different charities and serving his community as a volunteer firefighter/EMT with the Plymouth Fire Department.
The following is from the submitted press release:
“In the extreme sickness leading up to the treatment and after, Jim still exemplified the spirit and attitude of customer service. No matter how bad he felt, he never let that affect how he treated the public and his fellow employees. His great attitude and positive outlook has a profound positive effect on his fellow co-worker’s attitudes and how they treat those that they deal with.
“Throughout his career, Jim always has a smile on his face and positive outlook, even after losing all his hair (who later went for hair replacement Sydney for further treatment) and battling nerve pain in his legs due to the treatments. He is quick to joke and always reminds us “it could be worse”. Even when things are at its worst, Jim is the calm in the storm. He is always quick to point out where improvements can be made, yet usually has a plan to fix them and is always willing to jump in and help make the department a better place.
“He always is calm and quick thinking. Whether a person calling about his baby not breathing or a deadly bus crash on US 31 that he worked, Jim always embodies the professionalism that is expected of a Public Safety Telecommunicator.”
