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911 Stars
Standardized Telecommunications Award and Recognition Program

About 
The 911 Stars Program

911 professionals do extraordinary things every day. It’s time we recognize them like it.

The 911 STARS Program was created to build something our profession has been missing:

a standardized awards and recognition system created specifically for 911 professionals.

 

Across the country, telecommunicators answer the calls no one wants to make, send help when seconds matter, solve problems under pressure, and constantly Improvise, Adapt & Overcome.

 

Yet too often, those accomplishments never travel beyond the walls of their communications center.

911 STARS wants to change that. ⭐

 

Our mission is simple:

🌟 Recognize the incredible work of 911 professionals
🏆 Celebrate lifesaving actions, service, achievement, and dedication
🤝 Build camaraderie between telecommunicators and PSAPs everywhere
📣 Share our accomplishments beyond our individual agencies
🌎 Create a recognition system that can travel across the 911 profession
💙 Bring the people behind the headset out of the shadows and into the spotlight

911 STARS is designed for everyone. Big PSAP. Small communications center. Police. Fire. EMS. Regional. Municipal. County. State. Federal. Rural or urban.

If you answer the call or help send responders to someone in need, you are part of this profession and your work matters.

 

And one of the best parts?

The program is free.

No center should be left out because of its budget, size, staffing, or location.

The goal is bigger than handing someone a certificate or ribbon. It is about creating a culture where 911 professionals can look across agency lines and say:

“I see what you did. I understand what that took. You deserve to be recognized.”

 

🚨 We answer together.
🎧 We serve together.
⭐ Now it’s time we recognize each other together.

Welcome to 911 STARS.

Recognition Travels With You. ⭐

911 Stars

A Standardized Recognition Solution for the 911 Profession

911 professionals perform extraordinary work every day, yet recognition for that work remains inconsistent across the industry.

One agency may have a comprehensive awards program while another may have no formal recognition system at all. Even when achievements are celebrated locally, that recognition rarely extends beyond the walls of the employee's home agency.


911 Stars provides a solution.


The 911 Stars Program gives Public Safety Answering Points and emergency communications centers a standardized, accessible framework for recognizing the achievements, service, professionalism, and contributions of 911 professionals.


Rather than asking agencies to replace their traditions, 911 Stars provides a common recognition framework that can complement what they already do. Participating centers gain access to standardized award categories, established criteria, certificates, program guidelines, and implementation support that can be adapted to agencies of different sizes, structures, and responsibilities.


The goal extends beyond presenting an award.


911 Stars is designed to help recognition travel beyond the home agency. Through consistent awards, shared terminology, and responsible social media recognition, accomplishments can become understandable and recognizable to fellow 911 professionals across jurisdictions. A lifesaving achievement recognized in one center should carry meaning when shared with professionals in another.


The program also creates an opportunity to strengthen something the 911 profession has historically lacked: a shared culture of recognition.


Law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and the military have long used recognizable awards, citations, and traditions to celebrate achievement and strengthen professional identity.

911 Stars brings that concept to emergency communications while respecting the unique culture and responsibilities of the profession.


Implementation is intentionally designed to be practical. Participating agencies receive guidance, program materials, award information, criteria, certificates, and standardized operating guidelines, along with direct onboarding support to help leadership establish a clear path forward.


Most importantly, the core mission of 911 Stars is accessibility.


A small communications center should have the same opportunity to recognize exceptional service as a large metropolitan or regional PSAP. Recognition should not depend on agency size, geography, staffing level, or the size of an organization's budget.


911 Stars turns exceptional work into meaningful recognition, recognition into professional pride, and individual accomplishments into a stronger connection across the 911 community.


We are not simply creating awards.


We are building a recognition system for the people behind the headset.

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