Anniversary

Today, I woke up at 6:00am, got dressed, got my things together, and drove to work. I walked into the comm center, took my pass down report, logged in to CAD, took my seat, and smiled. Today, August 3rd, 2013, I have officially been on the job for 1 full year. It got here so quick, and I couldn't be more excited! Unless these allergies disappeared then it'd be a real party...

It's exciting!! Never did I think I would end up where I have, but I find myself growing more and more appreciative of the opportunity to do what I've always wanted to do; I'm in a position where I can make a difference in my community, helping friends, neighbors, and complete strangers. This position is one where, few, if any, get to see from the outside. But I've managed to make the best of it. I've managed to learn a lot, make a lot of mistakes, and learn a lot of lessons the hard way. I've learned about deductive reasoning, filtering through the bullshit, and keeping my emotions out of making important decisions. This job has taught me more in one year than college did in three years. It's taught me skills that can all be taught in separate fields, but are rarely found altogether. I've learned to handle situations few are ever in. If there was one word I could use to describe this, it'd be AWESOME.

Are there things I still need to learn? Of course, there's always something new to learn. No two situations are ever the same, nor do they ever have the same outcome. Sure, there are the common, sometimes BS, calls we receive. A lost dog, car lockout, even the occasional MVA in the grocery store parking lot. Most of these calls seem pretty routine. Take info, send a unit, wait for them to clear, it's a simple process, really. Yet, I've learned that there are also difficult moments in this job. Moments where, I wish I wasn't on this end of the headset. I don't know how many times I asked myself, "Why did I have to take this call? I don't get it." It's difficult to understand sometimes, but that's just how it goes.

I will say, I'm quite glad I'm not on the other day shift, as that seems to be the shit-hits-the-fan-hardest shift. However, I'm also a strong believer in fate and divine intervention. I do believe that I get calls that should only happen on my shift. Like the woman from church who was my grandmother's best friend in high school. She heard my voice and immediately recognized it, calling me by my first name, and telling me what she needed. A few weeks later, I ran into her, and she told me something I will never forget: "I'm glad you were the one working, because when I heard your voice, it helped me calm down and I knew that everything was going to be alright." Never could I have asked for better validation than that; I believe that for now, I am in the right place.

I've had a lot of "Oh shit," moments as well. Moments where I have to wonder if there's anything else that could go wrong. I can tell you about things I love in this job, and I can probably tell you about even more things I hate about this job. I won't, because we'd be here all day. But there is definitely a fine line between "THIS IS AWESOME!!" and "I hate my life..." For instance, you get a wanted person. Hooray!! Then, the wanted person decides they are going to do the smartest thing ever and try to outrun the cops. NOT HOORAY. Your 10-99 has just turned into a 10-33, 10-80 on the countywide repeater system. And suddenly, you find yourself at the front line of the battlefield, with every bit of information all the other officers need. Can you say echo transmissions?!

All in all though, it's been a great ride this first year in emergency communications. Do I have doubts that I can do this much longer, even for the rest of my career? Of course. At some point or another, every dispatcher feels like they don't belong, like they are making a mistake, like it's only a matter of time before somebody dies on their watch. Yet, sticking it out is what separates the those who can and those who cannot. Those who cannot will take their fears and run with them. Those who can will know that anything can happen, and are 100% willing to take on that challenge. That's the kind of dispatcher I want to be. The kind that is ready for anything and everything you may encounter, no matter what. Am I there yet? No. Will I be someday? Probably not. But fret not, this doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing, it only means that I will never become so complacent that I decide I know everything about my job. Few people, if any, really know everything about their job..

On a closing note, I want to say to all of you, thank you. Thanks for being dispatchers, thanks for doing what you do, and thanks for putting up with all my shenanigans (is that a colloquialism?). To all dispatchers, I'm proud to be amongst a group of the best first responders a nation could ask for. Dispatch on, brothers and sisters!!!