Within the Trenches

newWTTStandAloneLogoWelcome to episode 97 of Within the Trenches. A few days ago I received numerous tweets and Facebook messages asking if there was going to be a Halloween themed show. I thought about it and thought about it and finally decided I would do one. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do and a good friend of mine told me about some creepy and scary 9-1-1 calls she heard from a YouTube channel. I checked them out and they are pretty crazy. They reminded me of when I was in dispatch and the crazy stuff I would hear so I decided to use the tapes. I will give full credit to those who put the calls together below so make sure to check them out for other videos.

I want to make sure that everyone knows that I am not making light of the emergency situations. The calls are meant to educate and show the reality of 9-1-1 dispatch. Others may have a dark sense of humor and if you do well, that usually means you have worked or know someone who has come from the chair. At the end of the episode you will get to hear about some new things going on with the show and a scholarship I want to put together for the 2016 National NENA conference. I'm currently looking for sponsors so if you want in on it please let me know.

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

Episode topics 

  • My haunted house
  • B&E and Attempted B&E while I was at home with my family
  • Within the Trenches Dispatcher Scholarship

911 Tapes

Top Trending Channel on YouTube Visit them at toptrending.com- 5 of the creepiest 911
  • Elderly Female calls 911 to report a suspicious subject outside her home.
  • Chimpanzee attack
  • Intruder
  • Weepy voice killer
Mr. Nightmare YouTube Channel - 6 Shocking & Freaky 911 Calls
  • Man living in Washington describes what sounds like Bigfoot
  • Kid who calls 911 to report killing his mom and sister
  • Stalker call where caller was armed
Direct download: WTTEP97.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:33pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoI am a firm believer that every person we meet, we meet for a reason. Whether it is good or bad, a blessing or a lesson, there is a reason. A few years ago I reached out to someone who would help shape the rest of my career. Although the good deed was small it changed everything and made a big impact on my life.

When I was in the last part of my dispatch career I was working on my Masters in New Media Journalism. At this time I was writing heavily and posting all kinds of personal dispatch stories to my blog. It had become pretty popular with those in the 9-1-1 community as well as the general public. People were learning and I was loving it but I felt like something was missing, I felt like I could do more. As I was riding on the popularity of my written version of Within the Trenches I was introduced to podcasting through an assignment in school. I fell in love with it and started a public safety series doing stories with dispatch, police and EMS.

From there I decided to turn my written segment into a podcast but it was going to take a little help from Kickstarter. My goal for this Kickstarter campaign was $1,500. It would pay for equipment, hosting and more. I was going strong with $606 early on but my campaign stalled and I was sure I would not make it. I had 36 hours left and I was freaking out. I was reading some 9-1-1 industry news at 9-1-1 Dispatch Magazine Online and decided I would reach out to the editor for help. I told Gary Allen that I wasn't looking for money from him. All I wanted was help getting the word out on my project. Later on that day I received a response from him saying that he loved the idea of a dispatch podcast and telling dispatch stories. He wrote up a small blurb on what I was doing and also reached out to some industry partners. In 24 hours I surpassed my campaign goal.

I can safely say that if it wasn't for Gary's help I probably would not have made it. On top of that I recently found out that one of the industry partners he reached out to was my now boss and founder of INdigital, a public safety solutions company. I thought my boss simply found me by the article that Gary put out but Gary reached out to him. It's awesome how things work out sometimes. Sadly, Gary recently passed away. He had 40 years of public safety background and my only regret is not having more of an opportunity to have him on the podcast to tell his complete story. I did get a chance to have him on an episode with me and it is included within this episode. We were experimenting with Google+ Hangouts Live so the audio sounds a little different but it is a good one nonetheless. Also towards the end there is about a minutes worth of music. The show doesn't end though, I was showing Gary a video and all you can hear is the music. So just in case you listen and wonder what is going on. Below you will find a link to the video version of episode 45 with Gary Allen. I hope you enjoy the episode and please share it.

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

godspeedGary,

I will be forever grateful to you. Your help made a huge impact on my life. I hope I am able to leave a mark on this industry the way you did. Godspeed my friend.

Thanks,
Ricardo

 

 

 

  

Direct download: WTTEP96.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:57pm EDT

wttPodcastCoverWelcome to another episode of Within the Trenches. It has been almost a month since I posted the last episode but I’m back and ready to go with a long list of guests. Today’s episode will feature 911 news stories along with some tapes and a written guest blog. I’m joined today by show regular Rob “Big Mac” McMullen, Director of Vigo County 911 and 2nd VP of NENA. He’s joined by episode 94 guest Jordon, dispatcher with Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority and new to the admin team of the Facebook Fan Page. 

Get ready to laugh, learn and if you would like to read and comment on Kelli's guest blog post entitled, "I was there" please click the link below. Also, there are only a few days left on the "Dispatch Love" t-shirt campaign so get yours while you can. Once it's over that's it! This is a limited edition t-shirt that cannot be found in stores.

Kelli's "I was there" guest blog

"Dispatch Love" t-shirt campaign

Episode topics -

  • Recap with Jordon on episode 94
  • How would you dispatch that medical? (911 tape)
  • The skunk is guilty! (911 tape)
  • Dispatch hangup (911 tape)
  • Kelli's "I was there" guest blog
Direct download: WTTEP95.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:08am EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello and welcome to episode 94 of Within the Trenches. I am back from the national NENA conference that was held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver and this will be the last episode of a series of episodes that were recorded there. It was an excellent week of networking, learning, presenting and podcasting.

In this episode I got the chance to speak with Jordon and Tiffany, dispatchers with Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority out of Colorado. This was a great episode to record. We told many stories and we laughed like crazy. If you want to learn more about dispatching, the national conference and more then you need to check this one out.

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

Episode topics -

  • How Jordon & Tiffany got into dispatching
  • What it was like for them
  • Early calls
  • State Police story
  • And more
Direct download: WTTEP94.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:39pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello and welcome to episode 93 of Within the Trenches. I am back from the national NENA conference that was held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. It was an excellent week of networking, learning, presenting and podcasting. In this episode I got the chance to speak with Andrew, an instructor with Public Safety Training Consultants. 

This is a very short and sweet episode that I hope you enjoy. I usually record a longer episode but Andrew was about to give a class at the conference. I am going to get a hold of him for a much longer episode in the future so stay tuned for that. 

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 Andrew got into dispatching
  • What it was like for him
  • A brief overview of the class he was teaching
Direct download: WTTEP93.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:16pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello and welcome to episode 92 of Within the Trenches. I am back from the national NENA conference that was held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. It was an excellent week of networking, learning, presenting and podcasting. In This episode I got the chance to sit down with show regular Rob “Big Mac” McMullen the newly elected 2nd VP of NENA. This was a fun episode to record and in it we talk about a presentation we gave on text for 911. The presentation went great and Rob and I are thinking of hitting more conferences to present this. 

This is a must listen! The intro alone is awesome so make sure to 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.

 

Episode topics -

  • Rob "Big Mac" Wrestling Intro
  • 2nd VP duties
  • Text for 911 presentation highlights
Direct download: WTTEP92.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:53pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello and welcome to episode 91 of Within the Trenches. I am back from the national NENA conference that was held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. It was an excellent week of networking, learning, presenting and podcasting. In This episode I got the chance to sit down with show regular Rob “Big Mac” McMullen the newly elected 2nd VP of NENA, Ty Wooten, Education Director of NENA and Brian Tegtmeyer, who is an Education Advisory Board Member for NENA. This is an awesome episode! We share everything from the beginning of the conference up until that point of the conference. It's educational and entertaining.

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

 

Episode topics -

  • Funny intro
  • Conference events
  • Preparing for NENA 2016
Direct download: WTTEP91.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:32pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello and welcome to episode 90 of Within the Trenches. I am back from the national NENA conference that was held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. It was an excellent week of networking, learning, presenting and podcasting. In This episode I got the chance to sit down with Matt, Founder of Agency360 and sponsor of the show for the month of June.

Matt shares his story from dispatch, to becoming a police officer and ultimately starting Agency360 to help the onboarding of new dispatchers and helping to streamline your CTO program. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss! So please listen 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.

Agency360Logo

 

 

 

 

Episode topics –

  • Matt's dispatch story
  • The history of Agency360
  • Early 911 calls
  • What Agency360 can do for you
  • And more 
Direct download: WTTEP90.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:27am EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoWelcome back folks! This is episode 89 of Within the Trenches. In this episode I got to speak with guest regular Rob McMullen, director of Vigo County 911 out of Indiana and current North Central Region Director of NENA. We chat and listen to 9-1-1 calls including one on the late great American Dream Dusty Rhodes. We also share some information on our upcoming class at the National NENA Conference in Denver next week. It's called, "A Day In The Life of Text to 9-1-1." You don't want to miss it! If you are going to be there, make sure to look for us on Tuesday around 4 p.m.

Also make sure to check out our sponsor Agency360! Their customizable web-based field training software supports the CTO program and the on boarding of new dispatchers across the country to improve consistency, access, and efficiency in documenting their training. For more click on their image below.

Agency360Logo

 

 

 

 

Episode topics -

  • 9-1-1 tapes
    • Dusty Rhodes
    • "If they shoot you call us back with that information"
  • News story of female faking a kidnapping over text
  • And more
Direct download: WTTEP89.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:34pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoGood afternoon and welcome back for episode 88 of Within the Trenches. In this episode I got the chance to speak with Theresa, a dispatcher and trainer with Greenville City PD in Greenville South Carolina. We go back and reflect on her dispatch career from the beginning up to present time as a trainer. We also dig deep into her training style and how her CTO program through Agency360 has streamlined the training process.

If you have ever wanted to be a better trainer this is the episode for you! This is a must listen so check it out and share! As always if you have any questions or want 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!

Agency360Logo

 

 

 

 

Episode topics –

  • Theresa’s 911 story
  • Early 911 calls
  • Lessons learned in training
  • CTO program through Agency360
  • And more
Direct download: WTTEP88.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:23pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello 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.

Agency360Logo

 

 

 

 

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


 

Direct download: WTTEP87.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:02pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello 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
Direct download: WTTEP86.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:11pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoHello 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
Direct download: WTTEP85.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:06pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoGood 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
Direct download: WTTEP84.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:30am EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoAhoy 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
Direct download: WTTEP83.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:59pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoGood 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
Direct download: WTTEP82.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:40pm EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoGood 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
Direct download: WTTEP81.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:16pm EDT

wttNewLogoOn 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
Direct download: WTTEP80.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:19am EDT

newWTTStandAloneLogoGood 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
Direct download: WTTEP79.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

wttNewLogoGood 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…
Direct download: WTTEP78.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:54am EDT

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