Within The Trenches

Hello everyone, I am back this week for episode 17 of Within the Trenches. This is the last of a series of episodes that were recorded at the Mini-C conference in Boca Raton Florida. In this episode I sat down with four of Palm Beach State College 9-1-1 Dispatch Academy's finest. The conversation I had with Lisa, Myrnett, Wayne and Kimberly was excellent and refreshing. Their insight and experience going through the academy brought me back to when I first started. My beginning wasn't as elaborate but it definitely brought me back. Thank you very much for sitting with me and sharing your experience. I have dubbed you the Fearless Four. Good luck on your finals and I know you will do great things. I want to thank Tom of the Cool Kids of 9-1-1 for inviting Within the Trenches to be part of this and everyone involved in the Mini-C conference and those who were guests on the show. On behalf of Whitney and I, we appreciate it more than you know. If you would like to know more about the Palm Beach State College 9-1

Good evening folks! I am back again with a new episode of Within the Trenches. This episode is a continuation of the series of episodes that I recorded this past week at the Mini-C conference in Boca Raton Florida. In this episode I had the privilege of speaking with Cheryl who works with Palm Beach County 9-1-1 Management and is a part-time 9-1-1 dispatcher. Cheryl was great to talk to and she finished off the interview with an excellent message for the public. It's something that everyone needs to hear because when you make a 9-1-1 call there is specific information we need so her message is one that is very important. As always you can email the show at thejcast@thejabberlog.com and make sure to 'Like' us on Facebook!   Episode topics - How Cheryl got into dispatch How long she's been doing it Next Generation 9-1-1 Memorable call - Home invasion where callers mom was shot and the little girl on the phone was also shot w/Cheryl on the phone Message for the public

Good afternoon! This episode of Within the Trenches features Sabrina of West Palm Beach Dispatch Operations. We had an excellent conversation before recording and it was nice because we were able to get to know each other better. After only a few minutes of talking to her I felt as though we knew each other all our lives. This is a must listen episode that everyone can learn from. Make sure to check it out, share and as always, you can email the show at thejcast@thejabberlog.com.     Episode topics - How Sabrina got into dispatching The interview process Line of duty death Dispatch education/training

Good evening! Last week was rather busy with my root canal, 22 hour drive to Florida and graduation. I'm very happy to say that my family and I made it through everything with no problems, but last weeks episode had to be postponed. I'm still on vacation in Florida and just yesterday I had the privilege of attending the 4th Annual Mini-C conference in Boca Raton. I was initially invited by Tom of The Cool Kids of 9-1-1. He and I had been talking about promoting each others work and he mentioned this conference. It was promoted on Jabber Log and afterward he said it was too bad that Whitney and I couldn't be there during the conference. Well, it just so happened that I was going to be in Florida so I attended and recorded four great episodes.   This episode features Al, a 12 year volunteer with Boca Raton 9-1-1. He recently turned 95 years old and had much to say about 9-1-1. It was a great conversation! Episode topics - How Al became a volunteer The need for more 9-1-1 public education The need for more 9-1

Hello everyone! Whitney and I are back again this week with episode 13 of Within the Trenches. A few episodes back we spoke with Cheryl of Yakima, Washington and she was not only a dispatcher but she is part of her centers critical incident stress management (CISM) team. It was an interesting and informative show and since it went so well, we wanted to bring this week’s guest on to add to the topic of CISM. This week we spoke with Matt, operations manager of the communications center in Kent County. It's one of our larger areas in western Michigan and he reflected on one of his first emergencies while attending an explorers program as a teenager with a local fire department. He also touched on the importance of CISM and we spoke briefly on a call he helped us out with when we were dealing with a loss of our own. A big thanks goes out to Kent County for allowing us the opportunity to have Matt on the show and to Matt; thank you for everything you do! It's appreciated more than you know. As always you can emai

Good evening everyone! Whitney and I are back with episode 12 of Within the Trenches. We postponed our interview for this week because of some issues I was having with an infected tooth and some minor oral surgery but we pulled through. This weeks episode is a bit longer than the last few but it's definitely worth it. I can tell you that it's amazing and you are really going to dig it! In this episode we share four different 9-1-1 tapes involving the wonders of bees, handcuffs, shrimp fried rice and child discipline. Whitney and I add to the tapes with our expertise and humor so this is a must listen. We also answer a couple listener questions about why we continue to ask questions after we've been given the initial information and what we do if we take a call with a language barrier. We also touch on The Call, a new movie starring Halle Berry where she plays a 9-1-1 operator. A new flash contest is mentioned and we share an excellent deal from Success Communications, Inc. Their conference called 9114911 is

Good afternoon everyone! Whitney and I are back with episode 11 of Within the Trenches. This week we spoke with Cheryl, a dispatcher and Critical Incident Stress Management, (CISM) team member with SunComm in Yakima, WA. This was an interesting episode because we were battling with the Internet, our friend and foe. We dealt with some issues over Skype and the audio was cutting in and out but after some good editing, you can't even tell that anything messed up. Despite the technical difficulties this episode was excellent and Cheryl shared some great stories with us. We touch on PTSD and below you can follow some links that will take you to the articles we mentioned within the show. On behalf of Whitney and I, we thank you for being so open with us and our audience. Personal stories can be hard to share but helping others learn from it is one of our ultimate goals with this show. If you want to reach Cheryl for all things CISM, please send us an email and we will get you in contact with her. Coming up next we

Good morning everyone I hope you are having an excellent Saturday. This past Wednesday Whitney and I sat down with two different dispatchers to record episodes 10 and 11. This way we can post one this week and post the next this coming Wednesday. It gives us some time to contact more people and come up with new things to do on the show. We are currently working on topic driven episodes with Whitney and I, answering listener questions and we were recently given the green light from Dispatch Magazine On-Line to utilize their library of 9-1-1 tapes. These new in-house episodes will be live and will give a new element to the show. This episode features Brody, a 9-1-1 dispatcher out of Harvey County 911 in Newton, Kansas who adds a little flare to the profession by talking to us about some of his tactical dispatch experience. As always you can email us at thejcast@thejabberlog.com and if you want to get your hands on some official Within the Trenches merchandise, you can either hit The Jabber Log Store tab above

Good morning! I hope you are ready for a few stories from America’s hat. This week on Within the Trenches, Bobbi of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) joined us for episode 9 over Skype. Her stories and training were not only interesting but if I had started out my dispatching career in her center I might have gone insane. I mean, think about it, “911 where is your emergency?” “I have a bear in my yard!” Or “An avalanche just slammed down in the area!” Yeah…that would have been pretty crazy but I’m sure it would have been fun and an experience to take a call like that. The episode was fully balanced with humor, seriousness, and all around AWESOME! As always you can email us at thejcast@thejabberlog.com and we are currently seeking sponsors for the show. We are also seeking more people to participate and we do have an open call event on Facebook so make sure to check that out. We are looking for people that bleed dispatch and want to share their experience and story with not only us but also all of our l

Hello everyone! Whitney and I are back with episode 8 for our back to back episodes week of Within the Trenches. In this episode we chat with Dan, Director of Chilton County E9-1-1 in Alabama. Our topic of discussion takes us back to April 27 2011 when a swarm of tornadoes destroyed the surrounding area. Dan has a very extensive background in emergency services so it was very interesting to get his feedback and explanation on certain topics. We even touched on how an area in Montana and the upper peninsula of Michigan suffered a problem when their respective EAS systems were hacked to express and warn of the dangers of a zombie uprising. Can you imagine going through that? This episode was definitely informative and in good fun. For more information on Chilton County E9-1-1 follow the links below and stay tuned for next weeks episode when we chat with Bobbi, a dispatcher with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Chilton County E9-1-1 | Web | Facebook | Twitter

Good evening folks! Whitney and I are back again with 1 of 2 new episodes of Within the Trenches. This week we Skype’d with Joshua of West Bloomfield Township PD in Michigan. The topic of this episode is one of great importance. No dispatcher or anyone out in the field ever wants to hear, “Shots fired. Officer down,” but it’s something that some of us have heard throughout our years of duty. If you’ve ever dealt with this then you know that a debriefing or speaking to your peers will help move on for the most part. Joshua shares a story with us that will pull at the strings of your emotions. Thank you very much for sharing this with us and helping others get through tough times. Also within this episode a great organization is mentioned. The organization is MI-C.O.P.S., which stands for Michigan Concerns of Police Survivors. According to their official website, “Reaching out to survivors and co-workers, Michigan Concerns of Police Survivors (MI-C.O.P.S.), an all volunteer organization, is a chapter of Concer

Good evening folks! Whitney and I are back with episode 6 of Within the Trenches. This week was a little different for us in the sense that we were pretty slap happy up until the beginning of the show. Crystal and Jen, of Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority, joined us to tell their story and experience in 9-1-1. All four of us work the night shift and for Whitney and I, we worked from 4:30 p.m. – 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m. As for Crystal and Jen, they both worked from 7:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. so we had a few hours to kill after our shift. As you can tell we are all crazy for staying up but for anyone who works night shift you have to be just a little crazy to do what we do and work the hours we work. As Whitney and I waited for them to arrive we worked on our mic checks and I wish I would have kept the recording for bloopers because we were so out of it from lack of sleep that we began to sing and display our beatbox abilities. The entire episode was a great experience and getting the chance to mee

Good evening folks! It’s about 00:39hrs and I am finally getting the chance to post episode 5. This episode was not only fun but it was extra special. Announcements were made, thank you’s were given and there was a special guest. First off this is an open invitation for any emergency services dispatcher in any state or country that would like to take part in this show. On behalf of my new co-host Whitney and I, we would love for you to be a guest. This show is all about you and your story. It doubles as a form of public education but really, this is a way for you to express what 9-1-1 means to you and so that you can share your experience on this unique job. This week on Within the Trenches, a special guest dropped in. That guest was WZZM 13′s own Angela Cunningham. She dropped in to do a story on Within the Trenches and even sat in on episode 5. We touched on how the show is evolving, funny and odd moments during 9-1-1 calls and how some people need to drive a little slower when driving in snow. We also touc

Good evening folks! Within the Trenches is back with episode 4 and boy have we picked up some steam since the beginning. This week I had the chance to sit down with Barry County, an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (PSAP) & AeroMedical Service Controller from Dublin, Ireland. Yes, you read that right. Barry had some excellent stories that I’m sure you will enjoy and we talked about how I was confused in the beginning with his name. I originally received a message from him on his interest in the show and being a guest. I thought he was…well I’ll save it for you to hear because it’s quite funny and I don’t want to ruin it. We touched on how social media has put major incidents in the hands of the media in seconds due to everyone having a smartphone and how the agency he works at is working on something to stop people from listening to their radio channels. This episode is a must listen and if you didn’t already know, we have partnered up with Threadsy for a t-shirt giveaway. Check out our site for details or he

Good afternoon folks! I hope everyone is having a great day. This week on Within the Trenches I sat down with Trista of Allegan County Central Dispatch to tell her story. We talked about how she got into the profession of emergency services as well as how callers can screw up her name. We touched on the many questions we ask and how the night shift of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. can bring horror over the radio. “SHOTS FIRED” is something we never want to hear yelled over the radio but it comes with the job. We describe two incidents that occurred and how we felt during those calls. This is a must listen and make sure to comment. For up to date information on new episodes and more from Within the Trenches, please ‘Like’ Jabber Log on Facebook. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes or stream it 24/7 on Stitcher. As always if you have any questions or if you would like to be on the show, you can email me at thejcast@thejabberlog.com. Cheers! http://www.thejabberlog.com/2013/01/16/within-the-trenches-episode-3/

Good afternoon everyone! The past couple days have been a whirlwind. I mean this in the greatest way possible too! Within the Trenches was the basis of my Kickstarter project and yesterday, with 38 hours to spare on the campaign, the project was fully funded. That’s right folks, the project was funded and has surpassed its goal. It happened almost overnight and I can’t tell you how happy I am. Support came out of the woodwork and once it was said and done I jumped for joy, literally. I threw my arms up and yelled, “Woo hoo!” My 16 month old daughter Lola threw her arms up and squealed in excitement. The outpour of support showed me that this is going to be an important show. It’s something that people want to hear and I am going to do everything in my power to make that possible. Your support for this project gives me a giant leap toward the overall goal. For those who are unaware, the project of Within the Trenches is based on the experience of being a 9-1-1 dispatcher. This will be done in the format of a p

Good evening folks! I am very happy to announce that the first episode of Within the Trenches went live today. My good friend Whitney joined me and I have to say that it went great. For those who don’t know what Within the Trenches is, this is a podcast version of a segment with the same name on Jabber Log that revolves around 9-1-1 dispatch. I started writing about my experience about a year ago and it was meant to be interesting and educational for the readers, as well as therapeutic for myself. The posts have done great on my blog and I wanted to take it a step further by creating a podcast based on the stories of 9-1-1 dispatchers. I recently launched a Kickstarter project for this podcast idea in order to raise $1,500 to buy the equipment needed to make this a four person show. As of right now I have 8 days left in the campaign and $330. This first episode is a taste of what this show is all about and it is my hope that I can still make my goal. I will provide the link below to the Kickstarter page where