An Open Letter to New Dispatchers

Written by Tracy Severson, originally published on August 18, 2020

Dear Baby Dispatcher….

It probably took you months to get to this point. Tests, interviews, background checks, etc. you never thought you'd actually get that start date. Then it happened, you walked in on your first day fresh and not knowing what was up ahead. Welcome to your life never being the same.

Generally you will start your training answering the phones. Your first call could be as easy as an animal complaint to giving CPR instructions to a frantic Mom of a 2 year old. Every time you answer the phone you will never really know what is on the other end. You will have calls that you may relate to and some that you never thought possible. Welcome to the rest of your career.

At some point you will “graduate” to radio. That scary moment when you first key up on a radio band will have your adrenaline pumping. You will call officers the wrong identifier, say street names wrong and generally will just have moments where you can’t find the right words. Add to this that you are most likely still taking phone calls and developing your split ear. For some, this comes much quicker but it can take months, even years to really get it right. You will have the moment when an officer doesn’t answer a status check, your heart will be in your throat but you must stay calm. All for them to say everything is 10-4 I just had my radio turned down. You will have the moment when an officer does call for help. You will instantly switch to “go mode” and not think about the reality of what could be happening on scene. Welcome to never being able to un-hear that radio traffic again.

Then it happens…you pass your final evaluations and are on your own. No daily logs, no going home with your brain feeling like it is going to burst with memorizing, no more being called “the new girl”. This will be farther from the truth because now you have to prove yourself and put into action all that training. Now you have to start working on your mental toughness. With callers, officers and most importantly co-workers. Being the low man you will get the crappy shift, the leftover overtime if there is any or forced in early or stay late. You will clash with co-workers and try to please those that will never be pleased. Welcome to your life as a dispatcher.

You will drive home some days in silence because you just can’t bare to hear another voice. Family and friends may not understand this new side of you. They will try to make you feel better when you tell them that someone took their last breath while on the phone with you today. They mean well but will never understand that feeling. You will more than likely have fights with family & friends because you have to miss out on important events or celebrate them two days after the fact. Welcome to your new reality.

The months will pass and eventually you find yourself a couple of years in to this crazy career. You will find some things to be easier and you might think “great, I’ve got this” but don’t be mistaken as soon as you start to feel comfortable something new will come along and shake you. You will be required to continue to train as our world changes on almost a daily basis and can affect how you do your job. You will develop friendships with those sitting in the same room as you and those you only hear on the radio and you will always have their six. Welcome to being a part of The Gold Line.

This job, this career will change you in ways you never thought possible. You will find a passion about your community and your first responders. When people ask what you do you will be ready for the “what’s your craziest call” answer. You will educate your own friends and family on what to do when they have to call 911. You may even spring into dispatcher action when off-duty. You will think about life differently. Valuing your time with family & friends and remembering to try to let go of the little petty things in life. You will give an officers final radio call, either for a retirement or because they didn’t come home that night. You will watch new dispatchers come on the floor looking the same way you did that first day. You may lose one of your own, through sickness or because the voices in her head were too much to bare.

Welcome, you are a dispatcher.

Thank you, Wendy for sharing your experience with us. If you are interested in writing a blog, please email amanda@911derwomen.com. Sign up for our newsletter on our homepage to stay up to date with 911der Women programming, exclusive content and blog updates. Click here and scroll to the bottom.

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