Good morning everyone and Happy Easter,
As National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week winds down, I didn't want to miss this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for the job that you do every single day to keep our communities safe.
I have seen many changes over the past 26 years in public safety, but one thing that has never changed is the dedication and devotion of the women and men behind the scenes who usually go unnoticed until something goes wrong. Every day, you and your colleagues execute amazing feats, so much so, that most of the things you do are seen as "just doing your job.” Please don't ever think that you are not appreciated. As I tell my students all the time, it is the people under the headset that allow the rest of us to sleep well at night, knowing that if we need you, you will be there.
When I used to interview people who were looking for their first job in public safety, one of the most common answers people gave about why they wanted to become a Communications Officer was "to make a difference.” Sometimes, it is easy to get frustrated and we start to ask ourselves why we even bother. We allow negativity to creep in until we become complacent and even apathetic about the job that we do. But, please, let me be the one to tell you this: you may not save the world, you may not feel like you make a difference on 99% of the calls you take, and you may go your entire career without being formally recognized for the outstanding job that you do; but know this, you change the world for at least one person every day. YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Every day there is at least one person who would be worse off if you weren't there to answer the phone, or dispatch police, fire, or EMS. Every day, there is at least one person who would not go home to see his or her family at the end of their shift if you failed to ask all the right questions or to warn them hazardous conditions. See, many times, the things that we do, the questions we ask, the information we relay prevent situations from going from routine to catastrophic in the blink of an eye.
We may never know when the words that we use with a caller might keep them from harming themselves or someone else, because they don't tell us what they are thinking.
We never know when letting an officer know that a person is known to be violent gives that officer the mental edge they need to better protect himself or herself. We never know when listening to the radio when fire units are talking to each other on the fire ground gives us the knowledge we need to respond quickly when a mayday is transmitted. We never know when telling an EMS unit to wait on law enforcement before entering a scene may have prevented a hostage situation.
See, all that is just a part of the job. Being compassionate and empathetic with our callers, anticipating the needs of our field units, and staying calm, cool, and collected under pressure is just what we do.
As I anticipate Easter Sunday and all that it means to me, I think about sacrifice, and how thankful I am for the sacrifice that today, Good Friday represents in my faith. It makes me remember that each of you, and all of us who have ever sat behind the microphone or under the headset, has sacrificed to serve our fellow man and how special public safety communications professionals really are.
It takes a special person to listen to a mother beg for help because her child isn't breathing, or an officer scream for help in the dark of night, and count the seconds it takes for help to get there. It takes a special person to get up and go to work when the rest of us are just settling down for the evening. It takes a special person to sacrifice time with your children on Christmas morning, or to miss family dinner on Thanksgiving. It takes a special person to be yelled at, cussed out, and denigrated and yet still remain professional and courteous. It takes a special person to work 8, 10, 12, or 16 hour shifts for 4, 5, or 6 days a week--all because someone has to be there. Someone has to answer the phone. Someone has to answer the radio. Everyone one of us in this business, yet each one of us is special.
All of us together create that thin gold line between the black and the blue, red, and green lines that represent our brothers and sisters in law enforcement, fire services, and EMS.
So, as you wrap up celebrations for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, take a minute to acknowledge yourself and the job that you do every day. Acknowledge your co-workers and tell them you appreciate them being beside you, and having your back. Take a minute to remember how special you are, how important your job is, and how incredible it is to be able to touch the lives of so many people every day, even when you do so without thanks or even acknowledgment.
On behalf of myself and the entire Georgia APCO family, thank you. Thank you for your service and your continued commitment to the safety of our towns, cities, counties, and state. We appreciate you!