It's not often there are more than 1 or 2 officers in dispatch at a time. There are always at least 4 officers on duty, that's the minimum staffing level during the week.
In the last 3 days, there have been 3 deaths. I'm starting to wonder if I've become the dispatcher of death. 2 were found dead, the other call came in as a man that coded (I felt awful talking to the man's child). By the time my medics got on scene they said he was already gone. But they tried anyway.
Tonight, following the discovery of the 3rd death, 4 officers gathered in dispatch, (the other 2 were still on the street so the town was safe). The topics were gruesome. Defiantly not dinner table conversation. We let them talk. The experiences are similar but different. All of them are traumatic. They need to talk. Here they are among others that know. Here they can joke and not worry about sounding inappropriate, or callous, or rude. Here they can de-stress before they go home to their families. Families that try to be supportive but may not always understand. Families that the officers don't want to burden. Here they vent so they can go home to the safe haven that is their families.
My thought tonight: Being a PW is hard. Being a Dispatcher is hard.
What the hell kind of life did I pick? LOL!
Ugh
1 year ago
I forget that you're the wife of an officer. I bet having your job makes understanding his a lot easier.
ReplyDeleteI can relate, though I'm one of the wives that asks her husband to share, rant, joke, etc. I want to be apart of it. If he has to carry the burden, I want to help carry it with him.
ReplyDeleteSorry your shifts have been gruesome lately. Up here, we're dealing with a lot of deaths, too. I'm ready for some better news!
Sounds like the last tour I worked. Last Sunday(final day for my group) we had 9 DOA between 6a and 6p...our coroner was not happy by the end of the day...
ReplyDeleteGoddess- Yeah, in a lot of ways it's easier but sometimes it's hard because I'm so close to what he does.
ReplyDeleteLisa E- I know the guys that have wives like you are better for it! Thanks, I'd like some better news too!!
Woody- Yikes!! that's crazy!
Hug to ya, it don't matter if you are a dispatcher or an officer. The calls are the same to ya.
ReplyDeleteThanks TGR I appreciate that.
ReplyDelete911R,
ReplyDeleteIt's good your guys have you and the others in dispatch to hang out with and de-stress. A safe haven of sorts. Thanks for what you do. I bet dipatchers don't hear that often, certainly not enough, but you really do have a very important job, not just to the citizens but to your guys in the field too! =)