“Your manager has more impact on your mental health than your therapist or your doctor. A good boss can change your life.” Working for extraordinary people is everything. Have you ever had a great boss who changed your life? Someone who made work positive, even when it had no right to be? When the person…
So, you’ve just been – or are about to be – promoted. Congrats! Getting a promotion in your comm center is a keystone moment, signifying that decision makers see and acknowledge your growth and worth in the center. During my 911 career, I was thrilled when I was able to climb the proverbial ladder. I…
Working in 911 is often framed as a thankless slog, beset on all sides by difficult coworkers and arduous working conditions. While these observations are not without merit – 911 work can be extraordinarily challenging to be sure – to define our industry solely by these elements does a disservice to what makes working in…
“Hello, my name is Kris and I’m an interrupter. It’s been two days since I last completed someone’s story for them.” 911 training imbues us with all sorts of astounding abilities (see my “Dispatch Avengers” article for more on specific superpowers). These enduring abilities tend to weave themselves into our DNA, restructuring the way we…
She was no taller than five feet, likely around 4’10” in her socks. Her tightly curled blonde hair was Shirley Temple-esque in its presentation. Her glasses were comically oversized, amplifying the size of her eyes to owl-like proportions. Nothing about Judy’s physical appearance suggested that she would be anything but diminutive and kind. Despite appearances…
The first critical incident call we take as 911 telecommunicators is the one that determines whether we are capable of what the job demands. Especially when that call involves a child. Anyone who works in 911 will tell you that, despite what you see on TV, 80% of the calls that come in are a…
