From Staff Reports 6 hrs ago Sheree Gates receives the 2020 UT Health East Texas Telecommunicator of the Year award from Ivan Leon, UT Health East Texas EMS/ AIR 1 Communications Manager. Scott Berkley In honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week April 12 through 17, UT Health East Texas EMS is recognizing the pivotal role its emergency dispatchers play every day. Working from UT Health East Texas EMS headquarters in Tyler, a team of 27 dispatchers is responsible for answering emergency calls for EMS services within Smith, Cherokee, Camp, Rusk, Henderson, Wood and Upshur counties. On average, the UT Health East Texas EMS Communications Center handles more than 80,000 calls a year.