HONOLULU (KHON2) -- In emergency situations, the first "first responder" is actually the person taking your call. This week is to honor them, and they want to make sure you understand what they need from you, if you ever need to call. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informe d on the latest news People see police officers, firefighters, paramedics and lifeguards all the time. But those officials say the people who answer your calls to 911 are the first first responders. "We work a lot of long hours. We work hard and it's real gratifying to be able to help out the community and stuff like that even though we're not in the field," said Firefighter Aldann Rico of Honolulu Fire Department Communications. This week honors all of these telecommunicators and their work to keep communities safe for everyone. "Our telecommunicators are the unseen heroes who are often the first point of contact during emergencies," said Battalion Chief Shawn Kuratani of the Honolulu Fire Department. "They are there when every second counts to help guide those in distress." Emergency officials estimate they handle about 2,700 calls a day between the city's four emergency units: police, fire, ambulance and lifeguards. Last year, they say they handled about 974,000 calls with the bulk of them about 85 percent for HPD. These communications staff do this every day. Many of them, such as the firefighters and lifeguards, used to work in the field. So they understand the stressful situation and what information is needed. "When the public calls 911, if they can stay calm, if they can know their location, and that's the most important thing because we want to send them help as soon as possible," said Kim Lee, a Honolulu Police Department Communications officer. "People don't realize we do it every day," said Firefighter Robert Kekoa of the Honolulu Fire Department Communications. "They only call us when they have an emergency. So we understand we field calls all day long." Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You And they say even if you just think you need help, they say to call. Because that's what they do. "One thing we'd like to say to the public, is that when you reach ocean safety for 911 calls, there is no call that is too small," said Capt. Buck Giles of the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department Communications. "They're very dedicated to their jobs," Lee said. "They put in a lot of hours. They want to help people." ...read more read less