Guest guest Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 On Sat Dec 20, 2003 10:36 pm, Randall Larson wrote: <<In a message dated 12/19/2003 12:04:00 PM Pacific Standard Time, dan911radio@a... writes: Better than a proctologist??? At least he could see things in a " hole " different way. that would bring a whole different ergonomic perspective to the concept of sit, stand, and bend-over consoles..... >> To which " mrschummer " replied on Dec. 22, 2003 at 7:51am: <<How sad that people such as Mr. Larson & Mr. Willet who are supposed to exemplify professionalism stoop to such an infantile level. If this is the behavior from the top, I can't help but wonder what the rest of their products and services are like.>> Dear " mrschummer " : What you call " stoop[ing] to such an infantile level " is a recognized Public Safety coping mechanism called gallows humor. The following is a quote from a Chicago Police Officer in the book, " What Cops Know " , written by a Chicago-area journalist/author, whose sister is a Chicago P.D. Sergeant: " You become warped. You get a warped sense of reality. You have to. The biggest defense coppers have is gallows humor. They've got to have it or they go nuts. " EVERYBODY along the Public Safety Chain, from the Dispatcher/ Telecommunicator/Call-Taker to the Police Officers, Firefighters and EMT/Paramedics on the street, to the nurses and doctors in the hospitals ~ we all experience the worst of what lies out there in society at large, even death itself. Ask list member if there wasn't a bit of stress when she handled a call involving one of her " guys " : <--------------------------brevity snip---------------------> We have a " no name " unwritten policy too...don't call officers by their names unless you are having problems getting their attention. I have broken that rule too. The most vivid memory I have of that is an officer riding by himself gets into a bad accident and is trapped in the car. He calls the crash in...asks for an ambulance and seems fairly calm. A few moments later after everyone is on the way to help him he comes up on the air during complete radio silence and says " ...please help me....I can't move. " I called him by his first name and continued to talk to him one on one until someone else got there to help him. It seemed like it took forever for the first car to get there. A few days later, while at work, I got a phone call from him. He was still in the hospital. A few broken bones and internal bruising but alive and walking...and really sore. He said that he had to call to tell me " thank you for being the first person on the scene to hold my hand. Your voice kept me conscious and calm until the ambulance arrived. " <-------------------end brevity snip---------------------------> And, I'd be a liar if I said I was " stress free " when one of my " guys " walked in on a gas station armed robbery that, thankfully, was resolved with no one being hurt, no shots being fired, and 3 arrests being made. And ask Phyllis from North Carolina about when she was working the day when when of her " guys " was killed - if she's willing to talk about it. She wound up leaving the profession as a result. Unless there's been a change in their work status, Mr. Larson and Mr. Willett still work " on the line " in Dispatch; so, they " walk the walk " and " talk the talk " , and understand what we as Comm Personnel go through. " mrschummer " , I could appreciate and understand your comments if you were new to the Public Safety Communications profesion. However, if you have experience in the profession, then I feel the comments are unwarranted. The list members here are professionals, just as the other members in the Public Safety Chain. Now, I believe all here would agree an Emergency Room/Trauma Doctor is about as professional as you can get. You would be hard-pressed to show me an Emergency Room/Trauma Doctor who doesn't have at least a touch of gallows humor; with all they see and experience. In closing, we, as Public Safety Communications personnel, see and experience much that the general public wouldn't believe or care to listen to. We need an outlet from our stress. That's one of the reasons this yahoogroups site exists. If " gallows humor " helps us cope with those stresses, so be it. <Stepping off soapbox and apologizing for taking up much bandwith> Riley PD Northbrook IL ~On Chicago's North Shore~ " 9-1-1 - a number we'll always remember " " 9-11 (2001) - a date we'll never forget " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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