Public safety telecommunicators are being recognized this week by the province.

Government Relations Minister Warren Kaeding, proclaimed April 14-20 as national public safety telecommunicators week.

Those who are the first point of contact for people in an emergency or a criminal act in progress are overlooked.

When we are experiencing the worst day of our lives, they are the professionals at the other end of the line to support us and send emergency responders to our location,” said Kaeding in a media release.

Last year, the province's 911 operators took almost 390,000 calls from across the province - including 16 per cent that were abandoned after calling.

To prevent misdialling 911 on your phone, Deputy commissioner of 911 communications Charlene Luskey suggests activating the lock screen each time after using your phone, manually dialing the number instead of having it as a pre-set in your phone and teaching children when to use 911 and when not to use 911.

Luskey said that if you mistakenly call 911, to remain on the line so staff can verify there is no immediate emergency.