The things I wish I could say

All of us dispatchers have one. A list. You know the list. All the things we want to say but can't.
I have planned to use everyone of these answers on the day I retire. Only 19 more years to go!

When returning a 911 hang up call back and their response is "I didn't call you, you called me"
     ~Thats right Ma'am, I called you for shits and giggles. Today is your day I will call you back 3 more times.

When dispatching an Officer/Deputy to a car wreck with injuries, vehicle rolled over, flames showing and a person pinned in. "Central do you have Fire and EMS enroute also?"
    ~Negative, I thought you could handle it all Superman.

Answer the phone to "it's not really an Emergency BUT I didn't know who else to call"
   ~Okay Ma'am when you figure that out give them a call.....CLICK

I love hearing the words, I PAY YOUR SALERY
   ~ Great cause I need a raise, I haven't had one in 3 years

I am a single Mother of 2 children nothing pisses me off more than a caller that thinks the police should raise their children. "My son won't get outta bed and go to school, the police need to come make him get up"
   ~Let me raise your children for you Ma'am, I already got my own children up, fed and ready for school. I would just LOVE to do it for you too. STEP UP and raise your own children!


How about when you pick up the phone to someone screaming demands, swears and threats at you because the police/ems unit/fire truck didn't fall out of the sky as soon as they picked up the phone.
     ~"Oh yes now that you have screamed and threatened me I can work faster and harder for you."

One we hear at least once a day, "How long will it take for them to get here because I have things I need to do and I don't want to sit around and wait on them all day"
      ~Well Ma'am we dont give ETA's, this is an Emergcency call center. Officers/Deputies respond to emergencies in progress first. You kever know when a plane is gonna fall outta the sky into a major intersection.

Am I your person?

Who is your person?

Everybody needs somebody. We all need that person in our lives. The one that holds your hand in public no matter what anyone may think. The one that cries with you. The one that laughs with you and sometimes at you. The person who drives all the way across town in the middle of the night because he broke your heart and lets you cry and snot all over them in your misery. The person that sometime says suck it up and stop whining.

As we grow and change our person may change as well. Some people find a person at a young age and they go all the way thru life together. Others grow apart or move away. No matter what stage of your life you are in, if you really think about it, there is a person.

I am so very lucky to have more than one person in my life, Especially over that last few months. They have cried with me, listened to me whine for hours on end, dealt with my mood swings, and most importantly never let me push them away no matter how hard I have tried to.

To my person, and you each know exactly who you are, Thank you. I love you.
Know that I am always here for you, even if it means digging a hole in the back yard in the middle of the night.

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.  ~Author Unknown

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had.  ~Author Unknown

The best way to mend a broken heart is time and girlfriends. ~Gwyneth Paltrow

The Sunday Yummy

Caramel Chocolate Chip Brownies

1 1/2 cups butter, melted
1 1/2 cups coco powder, sifted
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 Tbs vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
6 oz semi-sweet mini chocolate chip
11 oz soft caramel candy chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 350
Grease 8 inch baking pan
Melt butter. Add coco powder. Stir until well combined.
Add sugar. Stir until well combined
Add eggs mixing until well combined after each egg.
Add salt, flour and vanilla finish mixing.
Stir in the caramel and chocolate chips.
Spread into the baking pan, bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean

Makes 18 servings. Enjoy topped with ice cream or with a cold glass of milk!!

Public Service Announcement

Never forget

It has been 10 years. If you ask any adult you meet today, where were you on 9/11, they can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing. I had worked a 12 hour night shift at the 911 center and had fallen asleep just prior to the first plane crashing. The babysitter woke me to tell me. I spent the rest of the day glued to the television and all of that night at work. The pride I felt for my fellow Americans in the following weeks was immense.

343 Firefighters
60 Police Officer
55 Military Service Members
2922 Civilians

NEVER forget the sacrifices Emergency Services and our proud Military branches make daily, not just on this one day of the year
Thank You to all of my co-workers in Law, Fire, EMS & 911, thank you for all that you do everyday.

Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinners are somewhat of a tradition in our center. Some squads have just a couple people that like to cook and some squads are over loaded with cookers. My squad does Sunday teams. We split up into teams of 4 to 5 people and divvy up Sunday lunches. I think it is a very bonding to cook and share a meal together. I think that I will dedicate Sunday's to posting a recipe for others to share. Please feel free to post your favorites as well! I love to try new foods!

Enjoy!
Kristin

Buffalo Chicken Mac & cheese

~1 lb elbow macaroni
~4 tbsp butter
~1 small onion, diced
~4 cups shredded cooked chicken (grocery store rotisserie birds work great)
~3/4 cup buffalo sauce (add more if you love it hot)
~2 tbsp flour
~2 tsp dry mustard
~2 1/2 cups whole milk
~1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (reduced fat cheese is fine)
~8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (reduced fat cheese is fine)
~2/3 cup sour cream
~3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Grease or spray a 9x13 baking dish. Boil the Macaroni in a large pot of salted water until al dente, 6-7 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and set aside

2. Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 min. Stir in the chicken and add 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce. Cook 1 minute more then remove from the heat.

3.In another pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and dry mustard until smooth. Whisk in the milk and remaining buffalo sauce. Stir until thickened, about 3 min. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses until melted, then stir in the sour cream until smooth.

4. Spread half of the pasta into the bottom of the baking dish, top with the chicken mixture, then top with the remaining pasta. Pour the cheese sauce over as evenly as possible (a ladle works nicely). Sprinkle with the blue cheese and set the baking dish on top of a cookie sheet before placing in the oven (trust me). Bake until bubbly and slightly browned on top, about 30-35 min. Let rest 10 min before serving.

Diary of a Mad Dispatcher

Welcome to my blog. I am new to this so be patient with me as I learn.
I am a 911 Dispatcher in Southeast North Carolina in a busy college/tourist town. We dispatch Law, EMS and Fire Services in our center. As I left work last night, myself & some of my co-workers were venting, as we do every day. Sometimes it is about a specific call, a problem with a co-worker or trainee, a problem with an agency we serve, supervision, or just a plain ole bad day! As I got in my car I thought it would be great to have that kind of debriefing on a higher level! Thus The Diary of a Mad Dispatcher was born!
I have created this blog as a sounding board. Some days it may be funny & light, other days more serious. I hope that it will be as helpful to others as I think it will be for me.

Have a great day!
Kristin