I Was Told to Just Focus on the Call
Written by Erika Lakey, ENP
“But for me, 'just focus on the call' was never enough.”
Eighteen Years and the Space Between the Calls
Written by Erin Allwardt, CMCP
"Restoring the ability to be fully present in my own life instead of always preparing for someone else's emergency."
A Night Shifter in a Day Shift World
Written by Erin Allwardt, CMCP
“There’s something both sacred and lonely about being a night shifter in a day shift world.”
The Power of Showing Up (Even on Your Worst Days)
Written by Megan L. Nixon
“Some days, showing up isn't about being strong. It's about being stubborn."
After the Script Ends
Written by Tasha Reilley
“We carry ghosts that don’t clock out when we do.”
Roadmaps for Growth: From Vision to Action
Written by Tracy Severson
“I felt a spark—something waking up inside me—and even during the trip home, I kept refining ideas and forming plans.”
For Everyone Who’s Ever Said “I’m Just a Dispatcher”
Written by Erin Allwardt, CMCP
“We absorb trauma through a headset, carry the screams and the silence into our off-hours, and still show up to be the calm in someone else’s chaos.”
Stop Asking for Permission to Be You
Written by Kris Nichols, ENP
“You don’t need anyone else’s approval to be yourself — you never did.”
My Coworkers Are My Heroes
Written by Tammy Sherwood
“I was both the caller and the supervisor, forced to lean on the very people I’ve spent my career leading and training.”
Trigger Warning: This piece contains sensitive content related to loss. Please take care of yourself while reading and reach out for support if you need it.
The Night That Changed Everything
Written by Nadine Khan
“Sometimes our strength isn’t in saving every life — it’s in showing up again the next shift, headset on, heart cracked but still beating, ready to answer the next call.”
Getting Beyond Trauma
Written by Suzanne West
“Even after years of taking the hardest 911 calls, nothing prepares you for the one that changes your own life.”
Trigger Warning: This piece contains sensitive content related to trauma and loss. Please take care of yourself while reading and reach out for support if you need it.
Different. Weird. One of a Kind. Extra.
Written by Megan L. Nixon
“Somewhere along the way, though, I forgot who I was—I lost Megan.”
From Chaos to Compassion: How Trauma Shaped My Path to 911
Written by Casey A. Rives
"It wasn’t until I stepped away from dispatch that I truly realized the emotional weight I had been carrying—and how, like so many in 911, I had been helping others through trauma without ever allowing myself the space to heal from my own."
After the Call: Staying Connected Beyond the Console
Written by Roxy VanGundy, ENP, CMCP, RPL, CPE, CCM
“People who leave 911 are still 911.”
Trigger Warning:
This piece discusses suicide, grief, and the emotional impact of leaving the 9‑1‑1 profession. Please take care of yourself while reading.
When the Emergency Is Yours: Navigating Grief as a 911 Professional
Written by Erin Allwardt, CMCP
"There’s no manual for how to grieve when you’re also the person others rely on to hold them steady."
How the 911der Woman Fireworks Scholarship Jumpstarted My Life Change
Written by Donna Dudek
"That breakdown became a breakthrough, and I started becoming lighter."
Growing in the Gaps: Embracing Rest, Resilience, and the Unseen Journeys of 911
Written by Valerie S. D’Intino ENP, RPL
"I now recognize that in those gaps, the growth during that time was simply not visible to others, not even to myself."
What If Pushing Ourselves Physically Makes Us Better Leaders?
Written by Sara Weston, PMP, ENP
"There are zero shortcuts to accomplishing a physical goal. No one can take an accomplishment like running a mile away from you."
The Transformative Journey: How the 911der Woman Fireworks Scholarship Impacted My 17-Year Career in 911 Dispatch
Written by Erin Allwardt, CMCP
“If you ever question whether or not to apply for a scholarship, know that you are worthy of expanding your knowledge."