Within the Trenches

Ep 153 of Within the Trenches features Todd Sparrow, Director at Lawrenceburg 9-1-1 in Kentucky. In this episode Todd reflects on 35 years of public safety service, calls that have stuck with him, the Kentucky Emergency Services Conference and more. For more information on the conference please see the links below.  As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on t...

Ep 152 is an extension of the podcast called Imagine Listening. This episode features the stories of the #IAM911 movement. It also features a former police officer who tells his story of a burglary call he went out to that resulted in an officer involved shooting. This is an episode you do not want to miss. Make sure to check out the links below and as always if you have any comments, questions, o...

Today, August 24 2017 marks the one year anniversary of when I started the #IAM911 movement. In this episode we will take a look back at why I started it, the explosion, media coverage and the future of the movement. It has been one hell of a year and I thank all of you for the support. I may have started this but it is because of the entire Thin Gold Line that made it a global success.  If you ha...

Ep 151 features Brianna, Benton County Emergency Communications out of Arkansas & Rob McMullen, director of Vigo County out of Indiana & NENA President. This episode begins with my first day in San Antonio, Texas for the NENA national conference and a 9-1-1 call I had to make on a couple who was arguing and at one point the male half was hanging from a parking garage. Brianna and Rob tell stories...

Episode 150 features Don, a dispatcher of  Sonoma County SO and Lee Ann, Dispatch Manager with Marin County SO out of California. In this episode we follow the 9-1-1 stories of Don and Lee Ann from the beginning to present day. We talk about the calls that stick with a person and those that can make or break ones career. This episode was recorded live at the National NENA conference in San Antonio...

Ep 149 features Jen, a telecommunicator out of an agency in Illinois. In this episode Jen tells her 9-1-1 story, shares some calls and stressors of the job, along with some educational points for those calling 9-1-1 on a cell phone and how cell phones can still be used to dial 9-1-1 even when there is no service. This is a must listen so please check it out and share. As always if you have any que...

Episode 148 features Adam Timm of The Healthy Dispatcher. This episode was recorded at the 2017 Michigan NENA conference in Lansing. In this episode Adam reflects on his dispatch career that spanned over 10 1/2 years in Los Angeles, California. He focuses on how stress from the job turned him into what his co-workers called him, "Angry Adam" and how going to classes to help deal with his stress he...

Ep 147 was recorded in front of a live audience at the 2017 Indiana NENA/APCO conference. Dispatchers share their outrageous and funny calls.   As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com. Episode topics - Open mic - "That feels so good..." Open mic - "I'm willing to try..." 911 call - The billboard And much more

Today's episode is a hard one. If you have followed the #IAM911 movement then you know that many of the stories told by the dispatchers who lived them are hard ones. There are some good ones but they are rare. Many 9-1-1 professionals have poured their hearts out for the movement and continue to do so. In doing this they have opened the eyes of millions to what they do every single time they answe...

Ep 145 features Sarah, Assistant Director at Kosciusko County out of Indiana and Curt, Sales Engineer with INdigital. In this episode we go back in time a few years to when Curt, who lived down the street from the Kosciusko County 9-1-1 dispatch center fell out of a tree and his wife had to call 9-1-1. Sarah, was the call taker that day and in this one story, they both found out what the other was...

Episode 144 features show favorite Rob "Big Mac" McMullen and is the first Facebook Live episode. In this episode we play some funny 9-1-1 tapes, interact with our Facebook Live audience and share hilarious stories.  You don't want to miss this one! As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show, send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.         Episode topi...

Ep 143 features Bill, Quality Assurance Specialist with Horry County E911, South Carolina. In this episode I got the chance to speak with Bill about his 9-1-1 dispatch career after retiring from the military and how crucial it is to follow protocols in the center. Bill shares a story where confirming the location was not followed and how critical it is to do so in an emergency. If you ever wanted...

Ep 142 features Erin, Communications Specialist at Loveland Emergency Communications out of Colorado and the 2017 IAED Dispatcher of the Year. In this episode we take a trip down memory lane with Erin as she talks about her early 9-1-1 career to present day. She shares stories including one from when she was training and took her first 9-1-1 call with her trainer and when she answered she added a...

Ep 141 features Ryan Dedmon, Outreach Director with the 911 Training Institute and creator of the popular blog Operation 10-8. In this episode I finally got the chance to not only have Ryan on an episode where we are face-to-face but we finally met after almost a year of talking online. Ryan explains the reasons why the 9-1-1 Wellness Foundation closed its doors and what's new in the world of the...

Ep 140 features Ty, Director of Education with NENA and Lisa, Education Instructor for NENA. In this episode we follow Lisa through every rank in dispatch she held up and to the point that she left to become an instructor. Both Lisa and Ty share 9-1-1 stories from their career and let us in on what's new at NENA and their upcoming annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. This is a must listen so p...

Ep 139 features the CEO and Public Relations Director of Uivo, Emily and David. Uivo is the only fast and secure emergency contact system for personal property that works directly with public safety dispatch centers. In this episode we learn about how both Emily and David got into public safety. Emily has a background in 9-1-1 dispatch and David is a current firefighter and paramedic. Emily's expe...

Ep 138 features Christine, dispatch supervisor with Waukesha, Wisconsin and Drew, manager of EMS and flight communications of Columbia City, Indiana. In this episode we follow Christine and Drew as they reflect on their careers and how they got there. Stories are shared along with moments of clarity and realization that this job is not just a job but a life long career.  This is a must listen so p...

Ep 137 features Ethan, a dispatcher out of NC & Within the Trenches Continuing Education Scholarship Recipient & Daphanie, dispatcher and past guest out of FL and she is also one of the Within the Trenches Podcast Facebook Page Admins. In this episode we follow Ethan's journey into medical dispatching as well as stories from his career. As a first timer to the IAED's NAVIGATOR conference he touche...

This is a special episode that you don't want to miss. In this episode my wife Rebecca joins me to chat about what it was like for her during my time working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. Not many people know this but as a dispatcher you miss out on all kinds of family time. You will more than likely work days, nights, weekends, holiday's and some people work forced overtime. This episode is an #IAM911 s...

This is an episode you do not want to miss! No intro on this one. It's a surprise guest. Please listen, enjoy and share!

Episode 134 of Within the Trenches features Caroline Burau, 12 year 9-1-1 dispatch veteran and author of Answering 911: Life in the hot seat and Tell me exactly what happened. In this episode Caroline talks about how she got into dispatching, 9-1-1 calls that stuck with her, her inspiration for writing and much more! I also make an announcement that I have been holding back for some time and it's...

Episode 133 of the podcast features Kaylyn, a 9-1-1 dispatcher & content creator out of Northern California. She is the creator of the popular YouTube channel Youmarriedme. In this episode Kaylyn shares her 9-1-1 story along with her inspiration for Youmarriedme. One of her stories left me speechless. It's a powerful one that you don't want to miss! Below you will find links to her social media ou...

Within the Trenches is back with episode 132! After this website being down for almost a week it is back up and iTunes subscriptions are up and running again too. In this episode I spoke with Mary the Deputy Director of Macecom out of Washington State and also the author of a very popular article "Dispatch on the Brain" for The Journal through the IAED. We visit her personal 9-1-1 journey, calls s...

Imagine you're watching television, enjoying your day and a breaking news flash comes on. You see law enforcement in a shootout with two heavily armed men during a bank heist. You are shock at the sight of it. Now imagine you're 911, experiencing this first-hand with your brothers and sisters who are there, giving their lives. You listen as they yell for assistance, and..."Shots fired!" Episode 13...

Ep 130 features April, Industry Affairs Specialist with INdigital and former 911 Director with Eaton County 911 out of Michigan along with Larry, Director of Sales and Marketing with INdigital and former Reserve Officer with Hudsonville PD out of Michigan. In this episode we share dispatch stories and listen to 9-1-1 calls.  This is a must listen! As always if you have any questions, comments or i...