I love my job

Reasons why I enjoy my work:

1. People call me for help and I get to help them
   
2. I help the peace officers with their work
3. Doing 2-3 things at once isn't considered crazy, its expected!
4. My co-workers are entertaining
5. You can take over a month off for annual vacation and your annual vacation is twice a year so if you take six weeks off at a time you only have to work 9 months out of the year!
   
6. You know more about the "real" local news than the Media
   
7. I get paid time and a half to come in for overtime and watch a hockey game as long as the phones get answered in a timely manner
   

I think the last point is more of a bonus but it reminded me so much of why I love my work!

What I did after work

After working 5 hours of overtime, I came home and found a bowl full of cooked ground beef, corn, green peas and carrots. It took me over 2 hours to roll 70 lumpias. Talk about a way to relieve your stress!

Curse or Blessing?

This past weekend I have had people tell me "you would make a good wife" and frankly I am tired of it. I know they mean well and it is supposed to be a compliment, but it is not helping me at all. They would point out the qualities that make me desirable in a relationship but they don't get the obvious. I'm still SINGLE!!! IF I would make a good wife then why do the guys run the other way? Why is it that the one time a year I need a guy to come through for me, he bails out in the last minute? Is there a sign over my head that says "F off" or something? (Yes that is very crass, but if you've seen the movie HITCH you would understand.) Basically: if I would make a good wife why am I still single?

So please, please, please stop telling me "you would make a good wife". Because the truth of the matter is....I'M NOT MARRIED.

OPST Banquet

Yesterday we had the 12th Annual Organization of Pubic Safety Telecommunicators (OPST) Banquet at the Sacramento Railroad Museum. Buckhorn Restaurant catered the event and the food was delicious (tri-tip beef, chicken marsala,green salad, rosemary potatoes, greenbeans and cake for dessert!). This year the charity that the hosting agency (California State Parks and Rec.) chose was the Sacramento Crisis Nursery. We were able to raise $4000 for them along with the gift items given by each agenyc i.e. diapers, child seats, cleaning supplies, childeren's clothinge etc. Our agency had 5 tables which was way bigger than last year where we only had 3 tables. We only had one hour before the banquet began to set up because the Museum was open to the public. But for an hour we made lots of progress with the large space we were given.


The trophies they gave out were in the shape of little microphones.

Me, Sgt. Bowen, his wife Danielle, Marci

Captain Book handing out the awards to Denise and Faye

Me, Lieutenant Goold, Faye.

Denise, Lorin (our hostess from State Parks) and me.

A Tribute to Dispatchers

A Tribute To Dispatchers

By Chief Thomas Wagoner
Loveland (Colo.) Police Department

Someone once asked me if I thought that answering telephones for a living was a profession. I said, "I thought it was a calling."

And so is dispatching. I have found in my law enforcement career that dispatchers are the unsung heroes of public safety. They miss the excitement of riding in a speeding car with lights flashing and sirens wailing. They can only hear of the bright orange flames leaping from a burning building. They do not get to see the joy on the face of worried parents as they see their child begin breathing on its own, after it has been given CPR.

Dispatchers sit in darkened rooms looking at computer screens and talking to voices from faces they never see. It's like reading a lot of books, but only half of each one.

Dispatchers connect the anxious conversations of terrified victims, angry informants, suicidal citizens and grouchy officers. They are the calming influence of all of them-the quiet, competent voices in the night that provide the pillars for the bridges of sanity and safety. They are expected to gather information from highly agitated people who can't remember where they live, what their name is, or what they just saw. And then, they are to calmly provide all that information to the officers, firefighters, or paramedics without error the first time and every time.

Dispatchers are expected to be able to do five things at once-and do them well. While questioning a frantic caller, they must type the information into a computer, tip off another dispatcher, put another caller on hold, and listen to an officer run a plate for a parking problem. To miss the plate numbers is to raise the officer's ire; to miss the caller's information may be to endanger the same officer's life. But, the officer will never understand that.

Dispatchers have two constant companions, other dispatchers and stress. They depend on one, and try to ignore the other. they are chastened by upset callers, taken for granted by the public, and criticized by the officers. The rewards they get are inexpensive and infrequent, except for the satisfaction they feel at the end of a shift, having done what they were expected to do.

Dispatchers come in all shapes and sizes, all races, both sexes, and all ages. They are blondes, and brunettes, and redheads. They are quiet and outgoing, single, or married, plain, beautiful, or handsome. No two are alike, yet they are all the same.

They are people who were selected in a difficult hiring process to do an impossible job. They are as different as snowflakes, but they have one thing in common. They care about people and they enjoy being the lifeline of society-that steady voice in a storm-the one who knows how to handle every emergency and does it with style and grace; and, uncompromised competence.

Dispatchers play many roles: therapist, doctor, lawyer, teacher, weatherman, guidance counselor, psychologist, priest, secretary, supervisor, politician, and reporter. And few people must jump through the emotional hoops on the trip through the joy of one caller's birthday party, to the fear of another caller's burglary in progress, to the anger of a neighbor blocked in their drive, and back to the birthday caller all in a two-minute time frame. The emotional rollercoaster rolls to a stop after an 8 or 10 hour shift, and they are expected to walk down to their car with steady feet and no queasiness in their stomach-because they are dispatchers. If they hold it in, they are too closed. If they talk about it, they are a whiner. If it bothers them, it adds more stress. If it doesn't, they question themselves, wondering why.

Dispatchers are expected to have:

• the compassion of Mother Theresa
• the wisdom of Solomon
• the interviewing skills of Oprah Winfrey
• the gentleness of Florence Nightingale
• the patience of Job
• the voice of Barbara Streisand
• the knowledge of Einstein
• the answers of Ann Landers
• the humor of David Letterman
• the investigative skills of Sgt. Joe Friday
• the looks of Melanie Griffith or Don Johnson
• the faith of Billy Graham
• the energy of Charo
• and the endurance of the Energizer Bunny

Is it any wonder that many drop out during training? It is a unique and talented person who can do this job and do it well. And, it is fitting and proper that we take a few minutes or hours this week to honor you for the job that each of you do. That recognition is overdue and it is insufficient. But, it is sincere.

I have tried to do your job, and I have failed. It takes a special person with unique skills. I admire you and I thank you for the thankless job you do. You are heroes, and I am proud to work with you.

[This piece was written by Chief Wagoner in 1994 in connection with National Telecommunicator Week. He has graciously allowed us to post it here, and gives others permission to use it for non-commercial purposes.]

Chicken Soup for the Soul write about Dispatchers

The voice on the other end of the 911 line is a person,too
By: Sheri L. Emard

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts:
to belive in the heroic makes heroes."~Benjamin Disraeli

You don't know me. I am the nameless, faceless voice that answer when you dial 911. You don't know that I chose this career; working weird hours-nights, weekends and holidays. You don't know that my job satisfaction comes from knowing that I might have helped you in some small way.

You don't know that I go through months and years of intense training and testing to become proficient. You don't know that I am tested monthly on procedures just in case you might be hearing-impaired.

You don't know me, and you don't care about any of these things.

What you do know is that you need help, NOW, for your friend, your loved one or someone in need. You don't understand why I msut ask so many questions. You don't know that I am responsible for protecting police officers, firefighters, paramedics and others who will be responding to your request for help.

You get angry with all my questions, frantically thinking that I haven't sent anyone to help you yet. You want me to make your situation better-NOW! You don't understand why it seems to be taking so long.

You don't understand why I must immediately take charge of the conversation, telling you what to do until help arrives. I try to calm you down, reassuring you while processing the call. I know that you are scared and not thinking clearly; I know that you don't mean to be rude. I don't take anything you say personally, nor do I let any of it affect my response to your need for assistance.

Once the officers, firefighters or paramedics arrive, you probably won't even remember talking to me on the phone.

I don't know you either. I don't know what you look like. I don't know your family or friends, but I am concerned about your situation just the same.

With each call, I say a little prayer that those involved will be safe. I also pray that I have done my job properly, drawing from endless training to ensure the best possible outcome.

You don't know me. I chose to be the nameless, faceless voice on the other end of the phone. I pray that you never need to call me, but hope you will take comfort in knowing that I am always just three digits away. In case of emergency, just call me-911.

Happy National Telecommunicators Week!!

A Dispatcher's View Of NTW

We take the calls , we provide a voice to the people in need. We offer guidance and assistance to the responding crews, we give them a cheerful greeting when needed. We put up with the politics and systemic frustrations of a growing role, we fight for our beliefs and values as communicators , trying to make a space for us in the Emergency World.....

But above all we SHINE, and this is our week to feel it!!!!!!!!

So don't get discouraged, Stand tall , be proud, because no matter what, I am certain that the 4 year old scared girl will remember , so will the distraught mom, and the panic stricken elderly woman who woke to find her husband had passed away. And so will all the other Emergency Service personnel who look forward to hearing our voices across the radio waves!!!!

Happy Communicators Week!!!!!

Keep on shining and believing!!!!!!

Joanne Roy
EMD , Moncton N.B. (Canada)

Finding joy in the little things

I think we all get so busy with life that sometimes we forget to enjoy the little things. So I've decided to list some of the things I enjoy.

1. Reading a good book
2. Talking to a friend from far away
3. Getting letters or a card in the mail
4. Playing tennis with a friend
5. Cooking dinner
6. Sitting around the kitchen table talking to my parents
7. Getting hugs
8. Finding a verse in the Bible and being able to apply it to my life RIGHT NOW
9. E-mail from friends and I mean real mail not those forward spam-like things
10. Looking over pictures of past trips
11. Remembering stories that go with the pictures
12. Listening to a song you like on the radio
13. Drinking a venti cinnamon dolce frap with no whip cream while driving to work
14. Coloring a picture
15. Playing with silly putty
16. Fuzzy slippers
17. Walking barefoot in the summer
18. Watching the sunset
19. Bar-B-Que in the backyard
20. Meals with my family
21. A hearty discussion with friends
22. Talking over a silly incident at work with co-workers
    
23. Lunch with a good friend
24. Reading the funnies
25. Trying a new recipe and having it turn out so yummy
26. Watching the Travel Channel
27. Kisses from a baby
28. Hearing my god-daughter sing on the phone
29. Sleeping in one room with all the cousins and telling stories of family incidents while laughing so hard that you wake up the adults
30. Seeing God answer prayers
31. Basking in God's grace
32. Hearing the rain drop while going to bed
33. Getting text messages from a friend
34. Making new friends
35. Exploring a new place
36. Watching a good movie
37. Giving to the less fortunate
38. Buying presents for someone you care about
39. Discovering a new word that you've never heard of before but can so apply in your life
40. Sales at the book store
41. Laughing out loud
    
42. Smelling flowers
43. Eating a delicious meal
44. Ice cream
45. Reading Dr. Suess
46. Hot tea on a cold day
47. Finding a "new favorite" song
48. Painting your toe nails fire engine red =)
49. Buying shoes that make you look taller and feel great
50. Counting your blessings