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Just a Dispatcher

There are just some things dispatchers don't say. Things like "calm" or "quiet." They don't even think those things, because it hits the fan. It's a curse. Dispatch is more than just sending people to calls. We are therapists. We are call takers. Have you ever heard actual terror in someone's voice? You've never heard a distraught mom because her newborn quit breathing in the night. That sticks with you. Has your house ever caught on fire and you don't know if everyone got out okay? Have you ever been so terrified that you're shaking? Dispatch is there to make sure you get the help you need. Working dispatch is having an officer sprint around the block to get an unresponsive child and run them to the rescue team. It's not knowing whether or not that child will be okay. It's never knowing the outcome. It's the initial call. We are the voice on the phone. Without us, no one would get help. Everyone thinks that we are just dispatchers. You're wrong. We carry the weight of calls. We feel what our callers are feeling. We feel emotions when we lose a patient. We pray about the safety of our officers and fire fighters everyday, hoping they make it home. Dispatch never gets to know the outcome. We sit behind screens and hope everything is okay. Next time you see a dispatcher, give them a hug. Dispatchers are strong people. Dedicated people.

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