Hello everyone! This is going to be an epic episode 87 of Within the Trenches. It has been a little while since the last episode but I’m back and ready to go. Agency360, a new sponsor for the month of June, sponsors this episode. I will be sitting down with them in the coming week to record an episode with them and talk about the awesome things they are doing for dispatchers with their training program. For today’s episode I want to go back and talk about where this all started.

You will get to hear about how I started out in dispatch, my calls, my transition from dispatch to becoming an industry partner and what I am doing with the podcast. You will also listen to clips from other episodes. One deals with an officer shooting and death. It is one that you need to listen to and hopefully you can learn something from it. This is a must listen so check it out and share.

As always if you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Make sure to check out our sponsor Agency360 by clicking the image below.

Episode topics –

• How my dispatch career began
• The Skeleton and Frostproof PD
• Early Career Calls and Training
• Episode clips
• And more!

Videos heard during the podcast

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Within the Trenches. This will be the last episode in a series recorded at the 2015 Indiana NENA/APCO conference and expo a few weeks ago. I had a great time there and I hope everyone who was on the show or attended my class enjoyed it too. I met a lot of new people, visited with good friends and just had an all around good time. There is never a dull moment with the crew from Indiana.

In this episode I got the chance to speak with Lindsey, dispatcher with Fulton County 911 and her mom Lori, training coordinator with INdigital and former PSAP director. This episode was a lot of fun to record. It was the first time that I have ever had a mother/daughter episode and they hit one out of the park.

This is a must listen so check it out and share. As always if you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show, you can send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics –

• How Lindsey started in dispatch
• What it was like working for her mom Lori
• What training was like
• What it was like the first night they worked together

Hello folks and welcome back to another excellent episode of Within the Trenches. This is the podcast where you will learn, laugh and understand what 911 dispatch is all about. The point of the show is to give a true experience and look into the lives of those behind the mic. They are the true first responders and the most important people you will never see. In doing this podcast I have made it my goal to help share their stories as well as some of mine.

In this episode I sat down with show regular Rob McMullen, North Central Region Director of NENA as well as director of Vigo County 911 in Indiana. Joining him on this episode are Victoria and Kelli, dispatchers with Vigo County 911 and this is a must listen and share. We tell stories from dispatch, personal life and a story I have never told before from my time in dispatch. It’s one you don’t want to miss.

As always you can email the show for comments, questions or if you want to be a guest on the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Link to the story that Kelli mentions at the end of this episode below.

Suicide call – http://www.thejabberlog.com/2011/05/10/a-moment-of-clarity/

Episode topics –

• Encounters with the police
• Gas station burrito story
• Victoria and the pepper spray shank
• And more

Good morning! The wait is finally over! I must admit that it was hard for me to hold off posting this episode until today. I wanted to post it so that all of you could enjoy this but I had to separate the episodes to make it last. So without any further ado, welcome to episode 84 – Don’t be nervous. You will get the title once you hear the episode. This episode was recorded during the 2015 Indiana APCO/NENA Conference during the week of April 15 – 17.

In this episode I had the chance to speak to three lovely ladies out of Hamilton County in Indiana. Anna, Alicia and Shae were so open and honest about their love for the job that it made the conversation naturally flow. On top of that they have a sense of humor like mine so I felt like I had known them for years.

This epic episode is a must listen so check it out and share it up. As always if you have any comments, questions or if you would like to be a guest on the show, email us at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics –

• How each person got into dispatch
• What it was like when they first started
• Dispatch calls
• And more

Ahoy hoy! I’m back with episode 83 of Within the Trenches. This episode is part of a series of episodes I recorded at the 2015 Indiana NENA/APCO conference and expo. I had an excellent time there and this episode added to the fun. In this episode I finally and I mean finally got the chance to sit down with Ty Wooten, NENA Education Director who I have been trying to get on the show for almost a year now. We have been talking about it and talking about it but our schedules never matched up.

Ty is joined by show regular Rob McMullen, NENA North Central Region Director and Director of Vigo county 911. This is an episode you do not want to miss. We had so much fun doing our mic check that I added it in the beginning. This episode is not only educational but it’s 18 different kinds of funny. I hope you enjoy it and please share it with everyone you know.

As always you can email the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com for questions, comments or if you want to be on the show. Make sure to check out the links below for what’s new with NENA.

NENA – Web | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

NENA Education – Web | Facebook | Twitter

Indiana NENA – Web

Episode topics –

• Funny mic check intro
• How Ty started in 911
• Ty’s first 911 call
• NENA education
• And more

Good afternoon and welcome back to another episode of Within the Trenches. Episode 82 is part of a series of episodes that were recorded last week during the 2015 NENA/APCO conference & expo. In this episode I got to speak with Amanda and Yvonne, dispatchers with Lafayette PD and part of this years Teamwork Award recipients. Both dispatchers shared their 911 story as well as their reaction to the call that went national when a male called 911 in Indiana for his fiancé that he was speaking to over Skype in New York and she passed out. Thanks to the excellent work of Amanda, Yvonne and their partner Mark they were able to get help to the caller’s fiancé in New York. Great job and you deserve this award. Thank you for all you do!

This is a must listen so check it out and share! As always if you have any questions or you would like to be a guest on the show please email us at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Teamwork Award news story courtesy of WISH-TV

Episode topics –

• How each dispatcher started in 911
• Best and worst calls
• Teamwork Award

Good afternoon and welcome back! I have been M.I.A. and I apologize for that. Life and work takes over at times and I have to step back from the podcast but I’m here and I have brand new episodes coming your way. Last week I was at the Indiana NENA / APCO Conference & Expo. I was there for the show and I had the chance to speak on stage and tell my 911 story. It was an excellent time! I got to spend time with old friends, made new friends and the show was a hit.

The best part of last week was that the conference fell on National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. It’s the week that we honor 911 dispatchers for the awesome work they do every day. The week was great and truth be told, I did not want it to end. Thank you for everything you do in dispatch. Although you may not hear it enough, you deserve all the kudos for being great!

In this episode I got to speak with Nirvana, a dispatcher with Lafayette PD, as well as Kelli and Victoria, dispatchers with Vigo County 911. This is a must listen to check it out and share it. As always, if you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Also check out the great video below from the Cool Kids of 9-1-1. It’s a parody of Let it go but with a dispatch twist. You will dig it!

Episode topics –

• How each guest started in dispatch
• Good calls
• Bad calls
• What NPSTW means to them
• Cool Kids of 9-1-1 Parody Video

On February 16, 1968, the first 9-1-1 call was made. This is a very important date so today I present to you episode 80 of the podcast. I'm posting it ahead of episode 79 because I can't wait to share this story with all of you. Every event comes with stories and today’s date marks an event that started a lifetime of stories from those behind the mic.

I have to say that it's crazy to think that this podcast has 80 episodes under its belt. I started this adventure telling my stories through a written segment on my blog, the Jabber Log and it eventually evolved into a podcast. What I wanted to do from the beginning was tell the stories of the unsung heroes of 911 and here I am. I love doing this and the stories are all amazing. I just want to thank the listeners for the support throughout this journey and this episode is going to be excellent.

My guest today has been in public safety for some time now and his story is one that I have wanted to cover since I heard about it from my friend Tom with the Cool Kids of 911 Facebook page. His name is Steve and he is the director for Fairfax County 911 out of Virginia. His stories range from his first day in the chair to present day. Steve has many stories and I look forward to having him on again.

As always if you have any questions or would like to be on the show you can send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com

Note: There are a couple spots where there is an echo but it does not take away from the episode so enjoy.

Episode topics –

• How Steve started out in dispatch
• The day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated & the DC riots
• Opinion on texting
• How much different is 911 now from when Steve started

Good morning and welcome back to another episode of Within the Trenches. This is going to be episode 79 and I’m going a little out of order but after recording episode 80, a milestone for the show, I had to post it up right away. Steve of Fairfax County 911 out of Virginia had an excellent story and if you haven’t listened to it yet, you need to. Today’s episode was going to be with Misti, a dispatcher and admin for "911 Dispatchers - Did I Really Say That?" but we had to reschedule so she will be on for a future episode and I look forward to that. My guest today is a good friend of mine and has been on the show before. He is the North Central Regional Director for National NENA and the Director of Vigo county out of Indiana. 

In this episode we covered several silly and or ridiculous calls and shared some stories of our own. Below you will find the link to all the calls we referenced from the news affiliates. As always, if you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show you can send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com 

KTUU - Ridiculous 911 calls

Episode topics -

• Suck it call
• Vampire Call
• Seagull Call
• And more

Good morning and welcome to episode 78 of Within the Trenches. It has been a while since episode 77 but I am back with a long list of guests. In my last episode I revisited some of my personal dispatch stories. If you haven't listened to it you need to check it out. I will be recording more of my personal stories soon. I also mentioned that the new Indiana NENA website was up and registration is open for the 2015 conference so make sure to sign up. The website address is innena.org. Check them out, register and look for the show on their site. All the episodes recorded from last year’s conference are located there.

With that said today's episode is going to be a good one. My guest today is Joanne, a dispatcher with the New Hampshire State Police and one of the admins for 911 Operator's Peer Support Page on Facebook.

As always, if you would like to be a guest on the show or if you have any questions, email the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com

911 Operator's Peer Support Page – Facebook

Indiana Chapter of NENA – Web

INNENA Within the Trenches Page - Web

Episode topics –

• How Joanne started in 911
• Inspiration for 911 Operator’s Peer Support Page on Facebook
• Calls that stick with you
• And more…