Santa BOLO

Be on the lookout......

Central to all units….

NORAD and North Pole PD are tracking a vehicle coming from a northerly direction and believed to be heading towards the City of Wilmington and County of New Hanover. Suspect number one is described as a white male, approximately 50 years of age…506…240 lbs…rosy red cheeks…a nose like a cherry…having a large belly that has been seen and described as...... shaking like a bowl full of jelly…white hair…twinkling blue eyes…wiry glasses…white, flowing beard…wearing a red and white coat…red and white pants...black boots…black belt…and a red and white floppy hat with a white ball at the top of it. Suspect goes by the last name of Claus, first name Santa, but also has aliases of Kris Kringle, St. Nick/St. Nicholas, and Father Christmas. Suspect has been seen making entry to numerous residences, possibly through chimneys. Subject does not appear to be violent. Suspects number 2 through 8 are described as tiny…deer-like in appearance…male…brown fur…four legs…antlers…wearing harnesses with bells. Suspect number 9 is a male…brown fur…antlers…bells on a harness…and what is described as a red glowing nose. Suspect vehicle is described as a large open sleigh with a personalized license plate of NOEL1…November Oscar Echo Lima One. All suspects were seen going from rooftop to rooftop and carrying a large sack that appeared to be stuffed with unknown contents. Suspect has been heard leaving each location shouting “Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.” If located, North Pole PD and children everywhere are requesting that he be sent on his way, for he has good will and peace to spread throughout the land.

Central is clear.


Annon 911 Dispatcher 

The Sunday Yummy

Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies

Oh My Gosh I want one of these right now!

It is the season for baking gifts and cookie exchanges. Today's cookie is one of my all time favorites. I love anything mixing chocolate and peppermint together. This recipe has been adapted from one of Paula Deen's. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.


For CookiesIngredients:
3 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoon vanilla
6.5 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheet pans.

In a large bowl of stand mixer, cream sugar and butter with for 3-5 minutes.  Add eggs, beating well after each.  Add vegetable oil and vanilla and beat.

In a large separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. 

With mixer on very low speed, gradually add half of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.  Blend well. With mixer running on low, add 1 1/2 cups of the milk.  Mix until blended.  Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk.

Using a standard 1/4-cup ice cream scoop,  place batter on baking sheets, spacing 2-3” apart.  Bake 12 minutes, rotating pans (move lower pan to top level and top level to lower level) after the first 6 minutes.  Remove cookies from oven and transfer to cooling racks.  Repeat with remaining batter. Don’t worry if some are a little cracked on the top – that’s normal!  Cool completely prior to filling.

For FillingIngredients:
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2cups vegetable shortening
9 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 cups marshmallow creme
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 lb hard peppermint candies

Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl of mixer and beat until fluffy.
 
Place peppermints in heavy plastic bag and crush with hammer or flat side of meat tenderizer.  Sift crushed mints through fine sieve to separate dust from bits of candy.  Fold ½ of candy bits plus “dust” into the filling.  Reserve other half of candy pieces for garnish. 

ASSEMBLY:  Place a scoop of filling on the flat side of one cookie.  Place another cookie, flat side down on top, pressing down gently.  Roll edges of icing in remaining crushed peppermints.  Package immediately in clear cellophane bags and tie with ribbon.

Lord forbid you should expect someone to know their address!

So this morning after returning to work after being out sick I begin to sift through the 99 emails in my work account. One of them catches my eye. It is a 'Heads up' email from our Director. A local newspaper owner decided to write an editorial about the 911 center and her experiences with same. Well I'm sure you can tell from the title of this that it did not display our best side.

http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=9407&iid=301&sud=44


Now let me post some points.
~ Just because Someone lives on an island that is know for it's snobbery does not mean they are better than me or any of the emergency services that serve their area.
~ Human error happens, on both ends of the phone
~ 2nd graders know their home address, adults should as well
~ No matter how much training and territorial studies we do it is impossible to memorize every street name, business name, inlet, creek, bridge, geographic marker, etc. in our area.
~ This center dispatches ALL Fire resources, EMS resources and 6 different Local Law Enforcement agencies. That Island is not the only responsibility we have.
~ When a major event occurs, such as a vehicle out of control running across 4 lanes of traffic and crashing into a house, everyone and their brother call in to report it. Lines are flooded with more calls than there is dispatchers. It takes more than 34 seconds to field a 911 call coming into the center, especially if it is one of the first calls about the incident

I welcome anyone that thinks this job is easy or that I am some reject they hired because of  tough economic times, come into the 911 center and observe. Sit here with me for 12 hours. Take 3 timed 10 minute breaks. Don't forget to bring your lunch or some money for take out food, cause  there are no lunch breaks in this 911 center. I hope you don't mind cold food because we do not stop working when we get our food, 911 is ringing. Wear something comfortable, you will be 'leashed' to a console and there is not a lot of lead for walking/stretching. Also don't forget to wear your big girl panties cause some random stranger is going to cuss you out, tell you who they know that will have your job, remind you that they pay your wages (I'm still waiting on that raise), expect you to know where they are and what the suspects look like because they told you they are in the red car across the street by the 2 oak trees. Be prepared to deliver a baby, do CPR, talk a mentally unstable person out of a homicidal rage, calm the mother of a choking baby, talk a teenager out of suicide, console an elderly man who just woke to to find his wife of 50 years dead.

Do I need to go on?

To all the dispatchers out there that read this, Keep doing the amazing job that you do every day.
We, the unwilling, Lead by the Unknowing, Do the Impossible, For the benefit of the Ungrateful. ~~ Unknown.