The Aches and Pains of the Comm Center

We've all faced the aches and pains of working in the emergency communications center, whether we're on the line answering phones and radio, in the training center making sure everyone's required certifications are up to date, or in the manager's or supervisor's office making sure everything is getting done the best way.

What are your aches and pains? How do you deal with them?

I started out in the comm center at the age of 18, almost 16 years ago. I really thought I had hit the big time as I was in a fairly secure job making considerably more than minimum wage and I had this wonderful thing called health insurance. It didn't take long, though, to realize that there were so many other things, namely life, which had a way of rearing its ugly head. Even for single folks, there are conflicts with working a 12 hour schedule, working holidays and weekends, night shifts, being called in on a moment's notice, or simply dealing with difficult calls, difficult callers, and sometimes difficult responders and co-workers. If you, as a line telecommunicator, don't work out a way to handle those conflicts early on in your career, I can guarantee you that your career in public safety communications won't last that long. When you're married or have children, the conflicts with your job can multiply and sometimes seem too large to handle.

I promoted to a supervisory position about 4 years into my career in the comm center. The conflicts I already had didn't change and a whole new batch of conflicts were added into the mix. As a supervisor, especially if you are promoted from within your current agency, one of the new conflicts you face is simply the transition from telecommunicator to supervisor. Often, especially in public safety communications, our folks aren't given training on that transition, and sometimes, those that are great telecommunicators don't make great supervisors or don't have the opportunity to become great supervisors without that training. Other challenges faced by communications supervisors include handling the change in relationship between yourself and former co-workers who are now your subordinates, making sure the schedule has enough folks in the center 24/7/365, and making sure that your center's policies and procedures are being followed. You also have different contacts with your external and internal customers than you did as a dispatcher or calltaker. You're the one that folks come talk to when they're unhappy with the way one of your employees handled a situation.

As a trainer or training coordinator for a 9-1-1 center, you're the one who has to make sure that everyone in your center is completing the required training. Training is not "one size fits all" in the center, either. Every state has different minimum requirements in addition to the federal requirements (CJIS, NCIC, TDD, etc.) and every individual center has agency specific training requirements. That's a lot to keep up with, because you have to keep it all straight while still working under the scheduling and overtime restraints. What dispatcher wants to give up a day off to attend a training class? I'll tell you there aren't many. And if you've sat through NCIC and NLETS training, you know it can be pretty boring. Unfortunately, we have all had the phone call about "that" employee who came late to training, fell asleep in class, was rude to the instructor or other students, or otherwise caused you to reach for the bottle of Tums.

Good grief, what sane person would want to work in a public safety communications center? Hmmm...Okay, we've all heard it: "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps."

I'll ask again: How do you handle the aches and pains?

Here are some of my tips:
Find a mentor. Join NENA or APCO. Read the publications. Go to state and national conferences, at least once, even if you have to do it on your own dime and your time. Don't be shy--find someone you can respect and seek their input and help with your career and your experience.

Don't be afraid to talk to a professional--outside the industry. By this I mean, use your Employee Assistance Program and don't be afraid to talk to a therapist or counselor from time to time about your experiences in the comm center and at home. I can't tell you how much it can help you. Don't let a single bad experience with one person stop you from "shopping around" to find someone else.

Have friends outside of public safety. If you eat, breathe, and sleep public safety, eventually you'll have nothing left outside of it.

You've probably heard this from the beginning, too: Leave your work stuff at work and your home stuff at home. It's not easy and you won't always be completely successful. Nothing worthwhile is easy and negative stress really does cause you to get physically and mentally sick if it goes on too long.

Seek out training relative to what you would like to do in your public safety communications career. Again, if your agency won't send you, sometimes you have do it on your own. If you really want this career and if you really want to be successful, it's important.

Now it's your turn. Leave a comment and tell me what problems you've faced and how you've handled them. Forward this blog to others in your center. I'd really like to see a lot of open and honest discussion on this.

Have an idea for the next post? Let me know that, too.

Thanks for reading and don't forget that you're never alone.