What Life as a Traveling Dispatcher Has Taught Me Thus Far
Written by Samantha Hawkins, CMCP, published on April 30, 2024
Picture this, Sicily, 1922. I’m kidding, of course. The year is actually 2023 and the place is St. Louis, Missouri. I’m only a couple of days into my new job and already finding myself five-hundred-plus miles away from home, in an airport I’ve never been in before, stuffing my face with a cinnamon sugar pretzel. I have no family or friends in Missouri. I have no clue of what the next ten days will have in store for me. I don’t even know my way to the baggage claim carousels. But I know I like Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and, fortunately for me, it turns out that they taste just as delectable in the Midwest as they do in the Southeastern part of the United States. This is my life now. I live much of it on the road, in between Southwest or Delta flights, and in and out of suitcases and oversized luggage that I hardly ever unpack any longer. I do my laundry most days in other people’s homes, I find flight delays strangely advantageous (because it’s usually the only time I get to read), and I have grown to appreciate the scenic routes that stretch out over miles and miles of gravel.
My career in public safety began in 2015 at a large emergency communications center in the Metro Atlanta area where I would grow my love and passion for dispatch, and thrive as a telecommunicator, and then as a Training Officer. But in June 2023, I was presented with the opportunity to work for Moetivations, a private 911 support services company as part of their “Dispatch on Demand” program, taking my skills and experience to some of the most critically understaffed 911 centers in the country. So here I am, holding myself together with sticky fingers crusted over by the yeasty, sugary flesh of what’s left of a pretzel that almost feels like home, waiting on a Lyft ride to my Airbnb. Yep, this is my life now, and here are just four valuable lessons I have learned so far.
Starting over doesn’t mean starting from zero.
Leaving the public safety sector behind for the still-uncertain, mostly uncharted territory of traveling dispatch was a giant transition for me. Even more so, I was at first very undecided and scared about taking the job because I just imagined that it would mean I was starting from scratch as a dispatcher, or “starting from zero.” As though I was wiping the board clean of all my public safety experiences, learned lessons, and knowledge, and writing a completely new story. In fact, I was not starting over, I was starting from my experience and writing a new, exciting chapter in my career. Coming into this work has felt like renewing my passion for the job and reconnecting with my why. It’s been building upon the knowledge and growth I’ve cultivated over the last eight years in 911 and using it as the foundation to this new path I’ve chosen to take. I have learned to love the “learning” process again and enjoy the journey. It can be scary leaving behind what is comfortable for something new, but sometimes, changing your environment is exactly what you need to find yourself again. You are never truly starting from zero when you have years of experience and training behind you. For me, changing jobs was very intimidating, but I have realized that new roads that lead to the unfamiliar, the new, and the challenging, also means having new experiences.
Learn to find joy again in the silence and simplicity of life.
You must understand...I came from an ECC that boasted a call volume of roughly 900,000 calls. You could be working day or night shift, it didn't matter, the phones never stopped ringing. Period. Some shifts, I could hardly even hear my own thoughts through the cacophony of voices around me. Eventually, the loudness and busyness of it all isn’t just something that grows on you, it’s something you grow to be comfortable in, and find strength in. Enter my first assignment as a “gypsy dispatcher” … Montgomery, Missouri. Cows, cornfields, roaming turkeys, and a community where everyone knows everyone or knows someone who knows that person. The 911 and admin lines ring, but not nearly as often, and the radio traffic is, well, very sparse. These days, thriving in the 911 environment feels more like learning to appreciate the simple things. I have, surprisingly, found myself again in the non-hustle, and my faith in humanity has been somewhat restored as well. I enjoy the calls from concerned residents about the neighbor’s loose cattle because I remember that some calls may not be emergencies in my mind, but it doesn’t make it less of an emergency to my caller. I enjoy not feeling rushed on calls, and being able to take time with my callers, understanding where they are coming from and what matters to them. I savor the community spirit of the callers in a small town. These are their homes, neighbors, streets, parks, schools, and businesses. It might be a simple way of life, but it is their way of life.
Everyone has a story and a lesson of their own to teach.
It’s been interesting, coming into centers that are completely new to me, and feeling like the “trainee” or a student again. Sure, I’m not starting from scratch, per se, but I am starting from a place where I realize that my experience and knowledge of the job already is just one crucial step towards success in this new role. The other key step is being willing to listen and learn because I do not know it all and there is certainly room to grow. Since taking on this new role, I have met so many telecommunicators with stories of their own on overcoming challenges in this profession and finding joy. I have broadened my perspective on the staffing crisis, seeing others in the same boat, but also seeing how they have managed to persevere through the shortages and the burnout. Everyone has something to teach the person next to them. I have learned about working with little resources in a 911 center far from the bigger metropolitan areas and making the most of it. I have seen how precious it is to be in a small town and be so valued by members of the community. The most effective communication starts with the ability to understand. The world is way too big to think that we know it all, and what I understand most of all as a traveling dispatcher is that we can learn a thing or two from other people’s experiences.
911 is a big industry, but it’s not that big. Make sure you are practicing what you preach!
In January of 2024 I began my new dispatch assignment in Asheville, NC. It was like my third shift on the job when someone came up to me and said, “I know you…I’ve seen you teach before.” I flashed a big grin and quipped back, “Well, if I was terrible teacher than that was probably my doppelganger.” She shook her head vigorously. “No, you were incredible! I thought I recognized you when I first saw you come in, but it was after I heard you talking on the phone that I definitely remembered you. I saw you give a session virtually on talking to 911 callers with grace and understanding, and the way you talked to that 911 caller just now was what reminded me it was you.” 911 is a big industry but I am reminded all the time that it is also not that big. From place to place, I find myself running into old, familiar faces, or I meet individuals that might be new to me but express that they know of me or know someone who knows me. Someone is always watching, and that doesn’t have to be a scary thought at all if you are consistently practicing integrity in everything that you do. Being a person of integrity and sincerity means being authentic as often as possible and making every effort to live up to the message you preach. So, if you are the type to preach about compassion, then make sure you are living compassionately at every moment. You never know who you might run into!
Thank you, Samantha for sharing your experience with us. If you are interested in writing a blog, please email amanda@911derwomen.com. Sign up for our newsletter on our homepage to stay up to date with 911der Women programming, exclusive content and blog updates. Click here and scroll to the bottom.
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