The challenges of emergency calls

 I used to be pretty superstitious.   I used to believe that what someone else or myself did caused a chain reaction.  And at some point I figured out things happen when they happen and no matter what food I chose to eat, what item I touched, or even what clothes I wore was going to affect that.    Holidays are that way in dispatch, some co-workers believe that just the holiday is going to be a negative day.  I try to come in and stay level headed and without bias.   July 4th, I was really surprised that I took not a single fireworks complaint call.  Yes, I had one the night prior but not on the 4th! We had a reported accident, units all responded and found the vehicle but not the driver.  I guess someone had picked up the driver and left the accident.       Another day closer to vacation and I am in vacation mode.   I realized that I had not yet done my monthly dispatch training, so I logged on and com...

 I think everyone who works in public safety will agree there are holidays you don't mind working, while others you dread.   The 4th of July is one you really cannot ever bet on being the same.   The law enforcement side we get all sorts of driving complaints, family disputes, alcohol induced fights, child disputes and vehicle accidents related to alcohol.   And on the medical and fire side we often see overlapping issues from accidents, and fights, to those involving issues from firework related accidents. Some years back I had taken a call from the ambulance crew who was staged at one of the local fire works displays.  It was when they radioed I knew something was wrong.   The traffic was to relay that they were going to make there way through the crowd towards an area where a firework had been misguided and instead of going up and went horizontal and into the crowd.   The result was several people getting burned.  The r...

 Tonight, my first call of the night was very important.  It was an older lady who wanted to complain about fireworks.  It wasn't that they were annoying to her animals like some.  This one was upset because as she stated it knocked the power out to her garage earlier because of the vibration from the explosions.   I had to laugh before I assigned it, thinking if your electric goes out due to vibration from fireworks would it not also go out during a thunderstorm? We have a reported stolen vehicle this weekend.  No one knows where it went but the suspect had direct access to the keys left on a nail in the house where has been staying over a week.   Of course the family denies he was given permission to drive or operate the vehicle.    The officers located a missing kids that has been running for some time this weekend so there is that as a plus. On the negative I tested positive for COVID last week.    I had no major sympt...

 This shift started like most, a smooth change over from the prior shift.   I arrived on time and my co-worker presented the normal change over, and wanted me to review a call that had been placed by a male who has been the victim of abuse by his wife.   He was upset that he felt as though the abuse he has endured has been overlooked and ignored.   He reported that she had beat on him but it was not in our jurisdiction.  I recall several instances where they have had domestic altercations and nearly every time neither one of them had wished to pursue charges.   They always downplayed it to just verbal arguments and went on without wanting to provide statements.   At some point during his call a couple of officers were talking and joking around in the background and the caller became upset saying he is tired of being laughed at and made fun of because he is a man and a victim of abuse.   He insisted on speaking with th...

This year has not been terrible.   It has been kind of dry for overtime at work though.   We actually have been fully staffed since last year.  A lot changed in the past year family wise, we have lost a few loved ones and thought we were losing another who made a recovery.   We all have had our issues with sickness, and family struggles.     I ended up with COVID although only a small group knew about it.  I'm not sure exactly when it was, but I think it was earlier this year.  I had started feeling bad on Friday it felt like a cold to me, but then I felt weak almost like the flu.  I just wanted to sleep.  At some point my wife decided to check my temperature and we determined that I was running just over 100 degrees.   I slept nearly an entire day.  I had terrible muscle aches and a bit of a cough and nasal congestion.   It cleared up mostly by about the 3rd day.  I happened to be off wo...

It has been a really long time since I last posted a blog, and I am not even sure anyone ever reads these.  I know I mention that quite often.   This was week is a little shorter than normal.   I had taken an extra day off over the weekend and enjoyed my day off.   My shift Monday was rather usual, nothing significant. Tuesday on the other hand was a fiery mess.   One of the agencies was out on a traffic stop and requested additional assistance, and then changed their mind and said they no longer needed help.  They then again requested help but only for transporting the suspects to the jail.   It was during this time a 911 call came in where as it was answered someone says "You are going to jail" and then the phone disconnects.   I call back and a woman answers and said it was accidental.  I go through the normal questions trying to establish whom I was speaking with at this point the person on the other end deci...

Every new post has been negative, never can I come and share something good.  I have lost my ability to rejoice in my accomplishments.   This week is already no better.  Things slow progressing towards anger and distrust.  I want to tell my story. I want someone to know the reason government cannot be trusted, from unfair hiring to flat out abuse of power to benefit someone else.  I can see run down houses owned by business owners skirt the local building inspector and then those who are not business owners being sued to take their property.    Its awful the way we operate.  Our officers all know inside information and details.  Meanwhile dispatch is left in the dark, not knowing why or how things operate.  They chose to eliminate a decision and move the officers assigned there to patrol.  We still have yet to know about it or know why.   

Where do I start, almost half the year so far consumed by panic.  I am at a loss for words with the events we have seen this year.  I've gone from scared to more like cautiously safe.  I do things I shouldnt like go out without a mask.  

Another year and yet we are back to the same habits we have followed in the past.   This year I am already burned, and I only know the situation happened because the coworker told me about it.  I came to work feeling better than the prior few days.  I have had a session of down in the dumps days.  I really couldn't pinpoint what one thing caused it.  Then I get to work and the new guy who has been here less than a year, says he oddly had been approached by the chief about putting in his application for officer quickly and was handed an application.  I kind of played it off like it doesn't bother me.  But it does.  The prior chief told me I couldn't use dispatch as a stepping stone so I never tried and it's a sore topic for me.  We just got the trainee we are training ready to be on their own and now we look to cause more overtime taking a trained dispatcher out of the seat to fill an officer slot?  The applicant pool for officers al...

The past month has started a rapid downward spiral, not totally on me.  I thought things were going good, we were almost to the point of being fully staffed, it was kind of exciting.  And then IT happened.  One of the rather new rookies had a bad day, I mean it was bad, but not terrible.  They fumbled, they struggled, but they made it out at the end of the day, as well as everyone they sent.  But they complained that it was a terrible day and they were not coming back.  The next day was a new day, they showed up.  They did the job they were paid to, the one they were hired for, and went on with the day like the day before had not been any issue.  Then it happened I was off and got a message to call in when I had a chance.  I called in and the supervisor informed me that the employee had quit and was no longer on the schedule so it would affect the entire schedule.  I was asked if I could take any other shifts, I reluctantly drudged thr...

It seems as the temperatures start to change, so do attitudes among co-workers.  Its almost like the cooler weather triggers animosity.  The simplest of things can trigger someone.  Lately things have been kind of that way anyways.  We were in the process of training one new dispatcher, and he was not quite up to par, and it seemed like everything resulted in a review of how he was handling things, from trying to field calls himself, to just down right ignoring important details from callers.  Then at at some point he decided to quit, as we were just barely ready to release the trainee who was hired before him.   So now we are short staffed again, as such as been the norm for about the last 2 years off and on.  I don't think administration has anything to do with it. Eh, well I actually do.   The past year we have seen a major shakeup.  We saw not only a change of leadership in the agency, we also experienced changes of leadership o...

Lately I have been down a bit.  I neglect my blog and know it's the one place other than my Twitter that I can be open.  I have handled a month of suicide attempts, one tried at least a few times.   Of all the years I have been dispatching and involved in emergency services this has weighed hard on me.  I took it home, I thought about it for days.  I never did anything wrong and they all received the help they wanted.  There comes a time things just bother you more than other.

Another year approaching the threshold entering new explorations, new challenges, the same game.  Coworkers have came and went a few more than normal this past year and likely more  any day now.  I am starting to think more like a go with the flow person and less with a complainer attitude. I won't say this year was easy, there were many 12 hour shifts and shift coverages due to long term illness and resignations.  Nearing 10 years in the seat behind the headset and at times I feel unwanted, unrespected.  Then a day comes up where my officers thank me or have a discussion with me about nothing.  But it shows they are people to who maybe forget dispatchers need asked if they are ok too. 

Communication is kind of a common complaint, be it for dispatch or for field units.  And in all reality its not only about radios, and phones.  Its about the lack of ability for management to communicate as well.  I always find it odd, that they expect employees to be prompt, and attend certain events, meetings, etc.  But often they forget to send out the memos, or forget to click send on that text message that has important information.  Yet when it comes to making sure they respond to a social media post, or respond on the radio for calls.  Communications should be up there on the list, of areas of improvement for everyone of us.  We should be aware of what is going on and respond appropriately.  I found myself in an odd situation recently, I had received an invite to an event, not something I was planning on going to, and then out of nowhere I received a text message saying they needed my RSVP asap.  I was in a state of shock, like I was...

What is a hobby?  Is it eating, or even doing nothing?  I recently was reading a profile on someone, that included likes,dislikes, and hobbies.  I thought to myself, if someone ever actually questioned me on my hobbies, would I seem ignorant? I sat down to check my view counts on a couple of my blogs, and realized a blog was probably overdue.  I have mentioned and will probably "beat the dead horse" so many times about never actually penning the words or ideas I feel when I should.  But tonight I feel driven.  I likely won't feel like this anytime soon again, but here goes nothing.  So as a people we have developed hobbies, likely out of being bored.  I know I said the B word, don't back out on me yet.  Our ancestors, were a busy people, they stayed busy, they didn't do anything the lazy way, they didn't have technology to make it easy or quicker.  At some point in our development times became less busy, (I know is that really possible...

Today is no different than any other holiday. We have dealt with drunks,drunk drivers and family fights.  I think I understand why it happens near the holiday season.  It's all because of the stress of money and having to deal with family members you only see a few times a year.  I am not without issues either.  My own family treats me different because I expressed my opinion that my sister could not come to a family function at my residence.  This upset my mom who now barely talks to me.  It's bad and upsetting.  But my sister is all drama and rumors.   I have had such a better second half of the year without dealing with her.  Work is bad enough drama wise.  We have an employee who never should have been able to keep their job with their parent being an upper supervisor over our direct supervisor.   Everything they want and ask for they get.  And whenever they tattle about bogus things then it comes back as coming ...

We all love new stuff right?  There is always that excitement when we unwrap or open that new package that has just arrived.  And then the anxiety set in when we actually try to use or operate that device or item.  The stress over doing something wrong, pushing the wrong button, breaking a piece during assembly or adjustments.  Tonight is no different.  We received some updated new equipment bringing us very high tech.  I have been excited about it early on, as it got busier today I struggled.  I had decided earlier in the shift I was going to be open to it, although it would hurt my normal routine.  I will adjust.  I didn't mind it and spent several hours trying to determine if I was handling it properly. I at one point decided that I wanted to go without it for a while slowly breaking myself in.  And then I realized how much easier after I had gotten used to it, that it actually was with little struggle.  I ended up a short time...

Normalcy, it means a state of normal, the common, the same, nothing new.  I have never said there was any normality or normalcy with this job.  It's kind of what makes it interesting. When I first started dispatching I came in, and came to work scared, scared not because I didn't feel like I could do the job or was alone.  I was scared of what that next call would be.  I like to be prepared, I like to plan, and schedule things.  Emergency situations are the total opposite of how I like my personal life to be.  I like to know my bills will be the same amount every year, I stress over abnormal bills, or differences.  It throws off my normalcy! I spend many shifts finding entertainment for myself, much like this blog.   Blogging about the happenings of the shift or lack there of.   I find myself upset on some shifts, that I don't have things to do.   Then I find myself upset on other shifts because I fix the mistakes from the other shif...

There is an old tradition for the public to go totally wild during certain times of the month and year.  These typically involve a large white ball in the sky displayed during the night, as well as during any national holiday.   I had never really believed it until my first come times having the holiday effect.  There are some holidays which typically result in more EMS calls, such as Thanksgiving, and Easter, often due to heart issues.  Then you have the holidays and unofficial instances that cause police issues.  These are commonly Super Bowl Sunday, Saint Patrick's Day, and of course the 4th of July.  These are all a toss up for fights, alcohol poisoning, or a variety of other calls.  This holiday was no different.  We had a called in bar fight.  We had an over consumption of alcohol.  We had a fight at a convenience store.  It was a barrel of fun, not!

             This phrase seems to pop up quite often.  I found myself just this thing and actually laughing when an officer directed me to log an issue that a citizen advised him of. I had taken a 911 call for a possible intoxicated driver, a dark colored Camaro, driving 45 mph, with it's high beam headlights on and swerving all over the roadway.  I give this call to the county.  They later locate and stopped the suspect vehicle to find out the driver is not impaired, but having issues with the ball joints and its causing issues with steering and handling.   This situation is as dangerous as being intoxicated, its not safe to have a vehicle with such issues on the road knowing it has problems. So its mid week, and it started off rather calm.  They had already been dealing with an ongoing yearly issue.  Each year a farmer complains about people parking along his field which borders the city ball diamonds.  And each...