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 911 so incredibly rewarding and, dare I suggest — fun.

Does our industry have a dark side? Sure. Are there troubling aspects that deter progress? Without question.

To suggest otherwise isn’t honest.

But with a nearly three-decade career in the comm center in my rearview, I can confidently assert that the gratifying elements of the work and the brilliant hilarity of the people who do it far outweigh the darker components that get most of the attention.

I can say this without hesitation:

I had more fun working the console in a 911 communications center than at any other time in my professional life.

Despite everything it threw at me, I often woke up the next morning sore from laughing so hard during the previous evening’s shift.

I shall, therefore, issue the following decree:

Working in 911 is rewarding and . . . fun*

*Most of the time.

In my career, there were many moments to back up that decree.

I’ve brought receipts.

Laughing until near unconsciousness

Glorious, gut-busting, side-splitting, hard-to-catch-my-breath, mouth wide open with no sound coming out, rib-wracking guffaws. All the time. I sometimes laughed so hard I was concerned that I wouldn’t recover from it. There were moments when I nearly lost complete control of my faculties. I have never been around more hilarious and deeply weird, wonderful people. Why there hasn’t been a sitcom set in a comm center is beyond me. If you’re reading this and are considering writing one, call me. I have stories. Be warned, most are in the ‘PG13’ to ‘R’ range.

 Stepping up when coworkers were in need

We spend a lot of time talking about how we get along in our comm centers – or don’t. But one thing that will always stay with me was how dispatchers, regardless of their “tribe,” immediately pulled together to help coworkers in need. Whether raising funds for a coworker with cancer or throwing an impromptu baby shower for an employee stuck at the console, I regularly saw people eager to step in when they were needed, typically without being asked to do so. When their teammates were down, pettiness tended to take at least a temporary backseat, and caring for each other took over.

Coming together during difficult calls

I’ll never forget an awful kidnapping that occurred in our city – a little girl was literally snatched off the street by a stranger. When the calls came in, I watched a team of dispatchers, some new, some veteran, form a cohesive team solely dedicated to finding that little girl. They were making phone calls for each other, helping each other with information and working together on tasks without being asked. Though the scenario ended in tragedy (and our dispatchers were, as one, devastated as if that little girl were their own), I’ll never forget the picture of a group coming together for one common purpose in full support of each other. Automatically. It happened every single time we took calls like that.

Making holidays merry when you couldn’t be home

One of the most difficult aspects of the job for me, a stern holiday traditionalist, was that I wouldn’t be home to celebrate with family like I always had pre-911. I was endlessly floored, though, by the spirit in the center, every holiday – from decorations to amazing food to a sense of togetherness and joy that I hadn’t thought possible. I had many memorable holidays at the console with coworkers, and it was during those moments that I began to realize that these knuckleheads were my family, too.

Celebrating achievements – and each other

Working in 911 was never more fun or satisfying than when we were celebrating each other. Birthdays. Weddings (my entire evening shift came to my wedding!). Achievements & promotions. We hailed each other’s triumphs like they were our own. And don’t even get me started on the glory of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in the comm center. The frivolity (and the food) was the stuff of legend.

These are but a few of the myriad examples. I could write a couple of books on the gratifying elements of working in 911, because there are many – and they will never leave my heart.

So, the next time we’re talking about getting along better or addressing staffing issues, please remember that while we do have areas of concern and issues to fix, a career in 911 continues to be extraordinarily rewarding, despite the dark stuff.

A 911 career is fun.

Let it be so decreed.

 

About Kris Inman:

Kris Inman is the Director of Program Development for The Healthy Dispatcher. A 29-year veteran of 9-1-1, Kris retired in July 2023 as Director of Springfield Greene County 9-1-1 in Springfield, MO. An awarded speaker and instructor, Kris has delivered standout educational sessions, keynotes, motivational talks and yoga instruction to dispatchers across the country. He is also a long-time college adjunct instructor, teaching courses in communication and public safety leadership. Kris holds a Master of Arts in Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Media from Missouri State University. He is also a registered yoga instructor.