The prompt for today is: Educate us on something you know a lot about, or are good at.
Wow! I'm sure like me, lots of you are fabulous at many things, and you maybe think you aren't fabulous at it?? I don't share this often with you my readers, but I am a 911 operator. I went through 6 months of pretty intense training to do what I do every day! I love it! I try to remember my very first day, and how scared I was, but really I just remember that I was very very sick, and thought, "I can't call in on my first day!" So how do I do it?? There is a calm that comes over me as I walk through the door at work. I know that in order for those in need to get the help they need I have to stay calm, and I have to be able to calm them down too.
Do I get scared? Yes, almost on a daily basis, I pick up a call and hear screaming, or glass breaking, or any other number of things, and I'm scared for the person on the other end of the line, but I know that if I let myself get sucked into the fear then we're both in big trouble. So those 6 months of training kick in, and I know the information that I need to get out for the responding officers, and I have to do what is needed to get that done!
How would I educate you on this thing that I feel I am good at? I would first say that this sort of job is not for everyone! It's not even for a lot of anyone. This job is really only situated for a few. There is almost as high a turnover rate in this business as there is in the restaurant business. There is burn out, and there is just pure incompetance. If you can't deal with being in a constant high stress situation, this is not for you. If you can't deal with eating dinner cold on every shift, this is not for you, if you enjoy helping those in dire need, this is for you! You reach down inside, and you know that what you have to offer is the very best thing for this person on the other end.
Whenever I tell people what I do, the first question I get asked is "what's the scariest call you've ever taken?" For me, who doesn't have any children, the scariest call is when a child is drowning. To know that there were 75 thousand things that could have been done differently so this child would not be in this situation makes this the hardest call for me. My heart is in my throat, and I'm terrified.
I hope this little blog post has given you a little insight into what I and many others do every single day, 24/7/365, there is no down time in this profession.
I hope that this little post gives you a little more insight into my life, and maybe why I love to create things so much! It's a release! It's a place where I can just chill out, and put things down on paper that will cheer up those around me, and that also cheer me up too!
So if you have a blog, and are sorta in a rut, or just want to try this out, and want to join in, check out that blog at the top, and get to writing!
Great post Diana! I can relate on a different angle as I am a first responder on the EMS ambulance side of things. You take the calls and eventually the information and resource allocation process begins. We never know when we are going to respond or what we will walk into aside from the information gained from folks like you. And like you said our professions don't have days off or take holiday breaks and it isn't for the feign of heart. I would agree that responding to the drowning of a child to either pronounce them or work the code is tragic and to witness the family takes things to a whole new level. Thanks Diana for doing what you do!
ReplyDeleteWell, first of all, thank you for the very important job you do! I know you don't hear that nearly enough!
ReplyDeleteAs the wife of a police officer, I am aware of just how important and critical your job can be! I am friends with one of our local dispatchers and we joke that we share the job of telling my husband where to go and what to do :)
Great post!!