Within the Trenches
Imagine a bright sunny day on the farm while your son plays outside. You are on your tractor and realize you don’t see your son anymore. Panic sets in…Now imagine your 9-1-1 taking the call of a frantic father who has run over his child. The pain in his voice is haunting...
 
This is what it’s like, within the trenches. 
 
In this episode, you will hear stories from the IAM911 movement, a movement I started to fight the reclassification of dispatchers from clerical to protective and bring awareness to the types of calls that 9-1-1 dispatchers answer on a daily basis. This episode is the last one for 2017 and it ends with an announcement that I have been teasing for weeks. 
 
Now…you heard the warning at the beginning but I must warn you again and add that if you suffer from PTSD or have suicidal tendencies you are listening at your own risk. The stories you are about to hear are all true and come from the dispatchers who lived them. 
 
While some stories have a good outcome, the majority are horrifying. This is our reality. Your worst day is our every day. 
 
So let’s start with a bang.
I want you to imagine each story. Become the dispatcher who has taken each call and imagine listening…
Direct download: wttep165.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:09pm EDT

Ep 164 features the co-founder of The Healthy Dispatcher, Adam Timm. In this episode Adam gives an overview of his history from 9-1-1 dispatcher to health and mental wellness advocate. He talks about the first ever 9-1-1 Training Summit held in Charlotte, North Carolina in partnership with the Denise Amber Lee Foundation. We also talk about resolutions for the new year and what we can do to avoid stress in the workplace. 

This is a must listen! As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com. 

The Healthy Dispatcher - Facebook | Twitter | Web

Denise Amber Lee Foundation - Facebook | Twitter | Web

Episode topics -

  • The Healthy Dispatcher overview
  • 9-1-1 Training Summit
  • Avoiding stress in the workplace for the new year
  • And more
Direct download: wttep164.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:10am EDT

Ep 163 features Jim Marshall, Director of the 911 Training Institute and Ryan Dedmon, Outreach Director. In this episode we reveal the details of the Survive & Thrive Fit Challenge. Per Ryan,

"The Survive & Thrive Fit Challenge is a collaborative partnership between the 911 Training Institute and Within the Trenches Podcast. Jim Marshall, the Director of the 911 Training Institute, developed this challenge after Survive & Thrive, one of his more popular training classes for dispatchers. Partnering with Ricardo Martinez, the Creator of Within the Trenches Podcast and Founder of the #IAM911 Movement, both men will begin a fitness journey together. They invite dispatchers, and all other first-responders, to join them on their journey to improve overall health, wellness, and quality of life at home and work. Use #SurviveThriveFC on social media to join and share your experiences. The official logo of the Survive & Thrive Fit Challenge, created by Within the Trenches Podcast. #SurviveThriveFC"
 
This is an episode you do not want to miss. If you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.
 
911 Training Institute - Facebook | Twitter | Web
 
Episode topics -
  • An overview of the 911 Training Institute
  • Background on Jim Marshall
  • Background on Ryan Dedmon
  • The Survive & Thrive Fit Challenge Reveal
Direct download: wttep163.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:54pm EDT

Ep 162 of Within the Trenches features Megan, alternate lead dispatcher with Cascade County, Great Falls Police Dispatch in Montana. In this episode Megan shares how she got into dispatching, calls that have stuck with her and a call that resulted in something rare in the world of dispatching. She got the opportunity to meet a caller and the callers father, a man she helped save through CPR instructions she gave.

This is a must listen! As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

KRTV News Report -

Episode topics -

  • Megan's 9-1-1 story
  • The calls you learn from
  • Lifesaver
  • And more...
Direct download: wttep162.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:45pm EDT

Ep 161 is the last of a series of episodes recorded live at the Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Association conference. This was a hell of a show and I look forward to returning. Thank you to everyone for hosting the show and to those who stopped by to say hello, take pictures and especially to those who were guests on the podcast.

This episode features Vanessa, supervisor with West Suburban consolidated dispatch center. In this episode Vanessa shares her 9-1-1 story and those that have stuck with her. This is a must listen! As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics -

  • Vanessa's 9-1-1 story
  • Being suspicious of everyone
  • Dark humor in 9-1-1
  • And more 
Direct download: wttep161.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:38pm EDT

This episode is sponsored by Dispatch In Depth. A new podcast by the IAED. You can catch new episodes on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Soundcloud. Ep 160 of Within the Trenches features Becky, ACS, or acting communications supervisor, and Mark a telecommunicator with Southeast Emergency Communications in IL.  In this episode both Becky and Mark share their 9-1-1 story, how they got started, calls that have stuck with them and how they can make one question the decisions they make in a moments notice. It’s a must listen!

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

 

Podcast Sponsor – 

Dispatch In Depth by the IAED – iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Soundcloud

Episode topics –

  • Becky's 9-1-1 story
  • Mark's 9-1-1 story
  • Calls that stuck with them
  • Running scenarios
  • In dispatch mode out of the center
Direct download: wttep160.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:07pm EDT

This episode is sponsored by Dispatch In Depth. A new podcast by the IAED. You can catch new episodes on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Soundcloud. Ep 159 of Within the Trenches features Rachel, Public Safety IT PM with Wake County out of NC and guest regular, director of Vigo County and President of NENA Rob ‘Bigmac’ McMullen. In this episode Rachel shares her 9-1-1 story. She talks about how she started in dispatch and switched over to a Public Safety IT PM. This episode spirals into hilarity as we talk about 9-1-1 topics and listen to a news story out of Polk County, FL that will have you cracking up. It's a must listen!

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

 

Podcast Sponsor – 

Dispatch In Depth by the IAED – iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Soundcloud

Episode topics -

  • Funny intro
  • Rachel's 9-1-1 story
  • Lip cheese
  • Trotting to jail
  • And more
Direct download: wttep159.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:23am EDT

Episode 158 features Kim Turner, Communications Manager for San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in California. She’s also the President of Kim Turner LLC. In this episode Kim tells her 9-1-1 story from dispatch to a police officer and back to run a dispatch center. She shares her experience with a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury and how dispatch saved her life. She also shares stories from two major incidents in and around her county. 

This is a must listen! As always if you have any comments, questions or you want to be a guest on the show, send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

 

Podcast Sponsor - 

Dispatch In Depth by the IAED - iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Soundcloud

Guest -

Kim Turner, LLC - Facebook | Twitter | Web

San Bernardino County Terrorist Attack -

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/us/san-bernardino-shooting/index.html

Episode topics -

  • Kim's 9-1-1 story
  • How 9-1-1 dispatch saved her life
  • The Christopher Dorner incident
  • San Bernardino County Terrorist Attack
  • And more...
Direct download: wttep158.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:40pm EDT

Ep 157 features Tracy Eldridge, 9-1-1 Operations Lead for RapidSOS. This episode was recorded live at the 2017 IPSTA conference at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, Illinois. In this episode Tracy shares her 9-1-1 dispatch story, her realization of having PTSD, dealing with it and her transition from the dispatch center to becoming an Industry Partner with RapidSOS. This is a must listen so please check it out and share.

If there are any questions for Tracy regarding her training or PTSD advice please email her at teldridge@rapidsos.com.

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

 

Sponsored by Dispatch In Depth Podcast by IAED

iTunes | Soundcloud | Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in the podcast - 

PTSD BUNKER GEAR FOR YOUR BRAIN

http://www.ptsdbunkergearforyourbrain.com/

Episode topics -

  • Tracy's 9-1-1 story
  • A call with Lexi
  • Battling PTSD
  • Dispatch Training
  • A transition to RapidSOS
Direct download: wttep157.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:06am EDT

This episode is brought to you by Dispatch In Depth--a new podcast for emergency dispatchers. If you like Within The Trenches, you’re gonna want to check it out. Dispatch In Depth takes you deep into the why and how of emergency dispatching. It's produced by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch and hosted by Isabel Gardett, the Director of Academics at IAED. Each episode features an interview with experts in the field including researchers, dispatchers, responders and public safety officials—who talk about the work they’re doing to make emergency dispatching as safe and effective as possible. I’ve listened to each episode and they are educational and entertaining. Would you believe that levels of evidence for example on CPR protocols can be decided on with the help of animal studies? Pig studies led to the new compressions only that showed better outcomes in pigs. These studies can be compared to humans but, I don’t want to give away anymore. It’s something you have to listen to. The episode is Cardiac Arrested Development, just one of many great episodes of Dispatch In Depth available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Soundcloud.
 
Halloween. It’s probably my favorite time of the year. I love to be scared. The horror genre is my favorite. According to the free encyclopedia, Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve is a celebration observed in a number of countries on the 31st of October. It begins the 3 day observance of Allhallowwide, the time of the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed. 
 
Others see it as a time for carving pumpkins with scary faces, trick or treating, goblins, ghost stories and haunted houses. During my time in dispatch I took all kinds of horrific calls from listening to someone as they took their last breath to someone finding a loved one hung in their home. They stick with me and will forever be embedded in my memory but two calls fall under the unusual and well...paranormal. 
 
This is Within the Trenches Ep 156...
 
Please check out the links below and as always if you have any comments, questions, or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.
 
Dispatch in Depth Podcast - iTunes | Soundcloud | Stitcher Radio
 
Halloween description - Wikipedia 
 
Al Capone research citation -
 
Episode topics -
  • Story 1 - The suspicious 2
  • Story 2 - The Yellow Motel & Al Capone
  • Story 3 - Home is where the ghosts are
Direct download: wttep156.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:59pm EDT