I created this page to share experiences the wonderful men and women in my career go through. To share the horrors but also the joys and surprises.
As a call taker, you’re trained in different methods to handle each call. EMD. Stress control. Call control. You learn different event types and abbreviations to make typing easier. Geography of the jurisdiction you work for. Questions you ask for scene safety.
Sometimes you get a mom calling to ask about where she can drop off old prescriptions, sometimes an elderly male that accidentally hit too many 1’s and dialed 911 by mistake, sometimes it’s a complaint about a neighbor playing music too loud, and sometimes it’s a child not breathing, someone that chose to end their life, a male that assaulted and robbed a citizen on the street. It could be someone’s best day or worst day, or it could be just another day where someone needs a nonemergent question answered.
We try not to take it personal when you’re cursing at us and yelling to just “get them here” when your family member is struggling to breathe. We try not to let your insults towards us sting. We choose every day to get up and go in, knowing we could face any kind of call or caller. We chose this life because we all have a passion for helping people and trying to make some kind of difference in someone’s life.
We are the calm voice in the dark.
