occupational hazards....

being a dispatcher for emergency services is sorta like riding a roller coaster... there are the ups and the downs, the times you keep going in circles, the moment you are floating in your seat, a time you feel like you are about to throw up, a few seconds when you are completely upside down and still trying to function,  laughing so hard that you drool all over your shirt and then of course the ride comes to a screeching halt and your shift is over...

one second you can be talking to a woman who just called 911 because her husband/boyfriend just tried to strangle her in front of their 2 kids, and then the next second you are answering a call about a car that's been parked on the street for too long...

i've had my fair share of the sad, scary, funny, disturbing, unbelievable and "what the heck was that" calls, but there are very few that i let effect me...

i had only been a dispatcher for a few months when i got a call from a female that said she believed that her stolen car was located at her house and that the people who were driving it were involved in a aggravated battery that happened on the reservation... i blew off the call and almost didn't send anyone to check for the car because she didn't seem like she knew what she was talking about... i asked the other dispatcher on duty about it and she said we should send someone just to check... turns out when officers got to the house it looked like someone had been murdered there... there was blood all over the trailer and all over the people inside... we had to call in all the detectives and evidence techs we had... even had to call in additional dectectives from idaho state police... i remember having to call the hospital in utah and asked them to verify that the victim still had both of his eyeballs because we were told that they had ripped one of his eyes out and that it was somewhere in the house... he still had both, thank goodness!  i have kicked myself over and over for this call because if i had been at work alone, i wouldn't have sent anyone to check the area... i always remember my first big mistake..

the first call that ever made me cry (while i was still on-duty, sitting at my station) happened a year ago... it was a 2 vehicle car accident where an older lady ran a stop sign and t-boned a car that had a little 4 year old boy in the backseat... the little boy had unbuckled his seat belt and was just sitting in his carseat unrestrained... the gentleman who dialed 911 was, thankfully, an off duty officer, and very calmly gave all the information i needed with me only having to ask minimal questions... the wreck was not in my jurisdiction, but actually about a mile 1/2 outside of it, but i knew i had units a lot closer than anyone else, so i transferred the call to the county and sent 3 patrol officers to the accident... when the first unit got on scene it was the first time i ever heard that kind of panic in one of my officers voices... the boy was taking a gasp for air about every 15 seconds and had severe head trauma... long story short, he was transferred to Primary Children's and i have been lucky enough to keep track of the little fella through Facebook... he is relearning how to do everything again, but is making big steps to live a functional life... he will be mentally and physically handcapped the rest of his life...

911 call... lady yells, "MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE!"... click... she was so frantic that i was unsure what she said to me and i even asked her, "did you say your house is on fire?"... i tried calling back, no answer... was this a prank?!?!... luckily i got the address because she was smart enough to call from her house phone... i paged the fire department and advised an officer of the information i had... as the officer arrived at the house the windows of the living room were exploding out from the fire... the mom had gotten herself and her 2 kids out of the house and were sitting in their car across the street... it took the fire department 7 minutes to get there from the time i paged them and the house was completely enfulfed in flames... so glad i didn't take that call as a prank... i hate fire calls... the one thing that makes me uber nervous at work!...

the next incident that has had a huge impact on me, just because i have little kids... i didn't even take the call... 2 year old girl was alone in the house with her mom's boyfriend and somehow ends up with severe brain damage... investigation is still ongoing, so i can't give much detail... i have read hundreds of pages of doctor's reports and medical exams and such... the little girl is currently blind, but she is making a bigger recovery than everyone expected... i think about my little girls and wonder how anyone could ever put such a sweet little spirit in the hands of someone they hardly know... the guy had prior child abuse allegations against him... but i guess sometimes love is blind?... not blind enough for me to ever trust just anyone with my kids...

this last experience was actually the driving factor in writing this blog and only happened last weekend... i have felt anger and sadness after this call, and am still questioning why anyone would ever call the police for this... our officers provide funeral escorts for funerals that happen in our jurisdiction... this particular day i had sent 2 officers to a funeral at one of the LDS churches... we rarely know who the funerals are for, it's just a courtesy we provide when we are available... while they are on their way, we get a call from a "concerned citizen" that the people at the church are performing military rights at this funeral and firing rifles into the air and that is against city ordinance.... this guy is probably super lucky that it was not me who fielded the call, because REALLY?  i mean REALLY!?!... what would possess you as a human being to call the police and complain about someone recieving their final military rights at their own funeral!?!... i don't think i can express my actual feelings about this call... to think that this person served for their country... arrgghh!... they are blanks guy, ok?... BLANKS... deal with 21 blanks fired into the air to honor a veteran of the U.S. military and get over it... i just can't understand some people... god bless America...

the things that stick with you... they will always make you a better person... i hope...