Well, it’s been a long six months, but I have reached the point where I can now say: I AM SOLO AS A CALL TAKER! I have completed the 6-week in-house academy, the two weeks of training at DPSST, and the six months of one-on-one training on the phones. My training review was last Read More
Category: 911
What I Learned at the Fire Station
As part of my job, I sometimes go on “ride alongs” with some of the agencies for which we dispatch. This gives me (us) a better understanding of what a regular day is like for our first responders, and hopefully will help us in our job of dispatching for them. We typically go on at Read More
Calling 911 – What To Expect: Part 2
I talked in a previous post about the first thing we want to know when you are calling 911 – WHERE ARE YOU? Now we have the next most important question when you are calling 911 -WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY? And that is exactly how I will ask you the question – “What is your emergency?” I Read More
Calling 911 – What To Expect: Part 1
Over the past 6 months or so that I have been learning this job and taking calls, I have found that folks generally don’t have a real good idea of what happens when they are calling 911. Now, after seeing things from “the other side”, I get that. I wouldn’t have known anything about calling 911 Read More
All Set To Solo!
Well, I have been given the word that (barring any unforeseen circumstances) I will be “going solo” as of July 7th! This is what I have worked for and prayed for over the past 6 months. What a satisfying accomplishment! My training has had it’s ups and downs, but lately things have just “clicked” for Read More
Answering Phones, DOR’s and all the other “Joys” of Training
Right now I am in the “one on one” segment of training. All the formal, classroom training is over. The six-week in-house academy was completed back at the end of January (got a 99% on my final exam, thank you very much) and two weeks at DPSST (Department of Public Safety Standards and Training – Read More
Some people need a stronger hint …
Joan MerrellJoan Merrell is a solo mom to two daughters, a widow, and a security technician at Oregon State Hospital. Oregon native, farm girl and 4H leader, maker of homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies, she balances (more or less) full-time work with caring for a home filled with a teenage daughter, 2 entitled cats, Read More
Joan Merrell is a solo mom to two daughters, a widow, and a security technician at Oregon State Hospital. Oregon native, farm girl and 4H leader, maker of homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies, she balances (more or less) full-time work with caring for a home filled with a teenage daughter, 2 entitled cats, and a hyper German Shepherd. She enjoys gardening and hiking, reading Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti novels, and searches for a few spare minutes to communicate with her grown daughter and son-in-law on her Marco Polo app. Find out more about Joan here.
Police/Sheriff Ride Along Yesterday … Fun Times!
Yesterday was my Friday … it was actually Wednesday, but it counted as my “Friday” because if was the last day of my work week. My shift schedule is Sunday through Wednesday, with 2 days being 8-hour shift days and 2 days being 12-hour shift days. And yesterday my trainer had a day off, so Read More
Update on Training … and please, lock your phones!
Well, it’s been quite awhile since I last posted! Lots of things have happened … I made it through the six-week “in house academy” and passed my test with a 99.9% correct score! As my daughter would say, I “kicked the stuffing” out my exam. 🙂 Now I am working one-on-one with a trainer, and Read More
Training is in Full Swing!
What a ride! The last two weeks have been hectic, but fun. I started my training on December 16th, and have not looked back. There is so much to learn! We dispatch for about 28 different agencies, spread out over 3 counties. And they all have their own policies and procedures. Just memorizing the CAD Read More
I did it! My new career is about to begin.
Well, it’s all but official – I am a 911 calltaker/dispatcher! I am ready to start my new career. I got my “conditional job offer” letter the end of last week. My permanent job offer is contingent upon my successful completion of a hearing test, vision test, and drug test. All of these were completed Read More
Update on 911 Dispatcher Job – Director’s Interview, Here I Come!
I got a long-awaited email this morning. It said they want to schedule me for a Director’s Interview next week. This is the last step in the hiring process (I think), before they make a tentative job offer. That means I am one step closer to getting this job. Whoop whoop! It’s been slow going Read More
Update on 911 Dispatcher Job
Well, I know they are investigating me now. Yes, it’s the background check portion of the hiring process, and I had contact yesterday with three folks that I listed as references on my background information form. First, my friend/2nd cousin, Belinda, messaged me on Facebook to let me know she had received “the call” that morning. Read More
911 dispatcher ready for emergencies | Local News | Modesto Bee
Monday Q&A: 911 dispatcher ready for emergencies | Local News | Modesto Bee. This is a great article about a seasoned 911 Dispatcher from Modesto. A really good “window” into the life of a dispatcher. 🙂 (I am just guessing this, since I am not a 911 dispatcher yet – I am still waiting to Read More
Every child should know this!
This is something every parent needs to teach their child! Every child needs to know how to call 911 to summon help, whether they are calling because an adult needs help or the child is home alone. Every family need to practice calling 911 before the need arises. Here is an excerpt from a story Read More