I used to eat, sleep and drink my job as a dispatcher. I lived with a total commitment to the job. Towards the end of my run, I also became very involved in the emergency management end of it and lucky for me, the EM director thought I had a lot of potential and taught me everything I could manage to soak in. In my memory he is still one of my favorite people…ever. The theory is very complicated but the take away is teaching and learning and working with police, fire and EMS agencies to handle critical incidents and my job was to learn their protocols so I could take it back to the 911 dispatchers. Dispatchers understanding the reason for procedures in the field just enhances their ability to be the connection to all of these agencies out in the field.
Another of my very favorite EMS people was Wendy…she was a mover and shaker with one of the small town fire/EMS departments. We didn’t immediately hit it off. It was a learning curve. She was also very dedicated and also as a hospital RN, I always felt she ran herself pretty thin. Over time, we developed a good working relationship and I learned to respect her perspective of her job and vise Versa.
I’ve just learned with the rest of Facebook world that she is sick…the chemo kind of sick. We were never let’s-have-coffee friends and we don’t keep in touch…but this one hit me hard. These are the kind of people that work behind the scenes to make our life better when we need them. I believe most people don’t really give a second thought to these people…dispatchers, police, fire, ambulance and all of the other nameless, faceless people in our lives that are there when we need them.
I needed some perspective today on what the important things and who the important people are. AS far as Wendy…she’s a fighter….and I have her back with all the positive energy I can send!
Ninasusan 
I commend everyone who deals with everyone else on their worst days. I once answered phones at a law firm for the elderly and it was awful at times. By the time I answered, the client had already encountered six machines and had been put on hold for hours. They would go off, just to vent. And their situations were often far from emergencies. I can only imagine how they would talk to a 911 operator. God bless all those people (like you and the sick lady) who do their jobs well and don’t make a stink about it when they are not continually praised for it. It would be interesting to find out the rates of various illnesses for jobs like that, with the massive stress.
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I’m sorry. Going through some of that, with a nephew and a sister inlaw. I’ver written at least 3 blogs about it. Deleted all of them. Because I just can’t even…….Sometime life just…….. Yeah.
Married to a past volunteer chief, and ambulance driver. Having also had the blessing of ambulance ppl there in crisis and fireman. I do think of those people. They (you) seriously are the heroes. And being able to deal with freaking out ppl on the phone shouting the F word at you for asking “stupid questions”…..Thank you for understanding and being there. Sending positive thoughts to your friend.
When you think of the ppl who don’t know what an impression they made on your life, or what they mean to you….makes you think about who’s thinking of you that way too. They’re out there.
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It is really like that! People that make their impression on you and really have no idea. All public service people deserve a huge thank you! We can’t really get along without them but don’t always take the time to thank them….like DOT workers!
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