It is National Disptacher Appreciation week.  I didn’t even know there was such a thing, but some of you may see where I occasionally like a post on Diary of A Mad Dispatcher’s page & that’s where I heard about it.  Anyhoo, in light of Boston Massachusetts, & West Texas, these unseen people are on my mind a lot.  I was a dispatcher for about a year & a half & I can count on one hand all the times I was publicly thanked or appreciated.  I didn’t ever expect recognition, but when it came, it warmed my heart, just like it does any one of you in your life for a job well done.  So, anyway, my point is, you’re seeing a lot of appreciation for the firemen & policemen & they DO deserve every bit of it, but don’t forget the dispatchers.  They are keeping up with several agencies at one time, consisting of several hundred men & women.  This is in addition to the regular calls that are coming in for car wrecks, accidental cell phones, heart attacks, what have you.  If you’ve ever had to make that call, you know how calm that voice is.  You plead with them to get help there quickly.  You beg them to tell you what to do for the person in distress.  And when the lights & sirens pull in, you hang up, & they probably never cross your mind again.  Now, that being said, imagine your house is on fire.  You call the fire department.  No one is there, so it is forwarded to the local gas station.  They get directions to your house.  They call the fire chief, who calls the firemen, who head to the station to get the trucks & get their turnout gear on.  This is all done on landlines because there are no cell phones.  The year is 2001.  And this is Wears Valley.  911 wasn’t in Sevier County until 2002.  Some areas of the United States still don’t have it.  Another scenario is you’re home alone with no car or friends, neighbors, family close by.  You get stung by a bee, & you’re allergic.  Your throat begins to swell.  You call the ambulance service located in central Sevierville.  After about 4 or 5 rings, the hospital picks up.  They tell you they will send help.  They can’t get ahold of anyone in the amulance service either, so what do they do?   They call Atchley’s.  Not kidding.  They had a siren, a que.  That was 1985.  Be thankful for 911, & be especially thankful for your dispatchers.
Protecting the Three

I am the Officer, follow me

 Preserving the peace is where I’ll be

 I am the torch that lights the way

 In darkness my courage will pave a way

 Leading the others, that is me

 I am the Officer guiding the three
 I am the Fire Fighter, follow me

 Into the flames is where I will be

 I am he who battles the beast

 To protect that on which it would feast

 Leading strength to the others, that is me

 I am the Fire Fighter supporting the three
 I am the Medic, follow me

 Easing the pain is where I will be

 I am the one who helps them survive

 Lifting the fallen to keep them alive

 Treating the others, that is me

 I am the Medic healing the three
 I am the Dispatcher, don’t follow me

 Agony and chaos is where I will be

 Working in obscurity, this forgotten place

 Not death, but insanity is the danger I face

 Answering the call, that is me

 I am the Dispatcher protecting the Three 

–couldn’t find the author. Somebody said Steven Kaminski but couldn’t verify.