When dispatch goes red

Today started out like most days at work, though we were at the back-up center and it was the first day in 8 weeks that I wasn't training someone. I was put on Sheriff's department radio relief which was good since it had been a couple of months since I was on the radio, I was hoping not to be assigned to one. The day started out smoothly. At 10am I took my lunch break, I went outside to eat my peanut butter sandwich and was enjoying the first sunny day at work in I don't know how long. I noticed a house across the street with flowers blooming and it made me think of children hunting Easter eggs. I went back inside and notices a co-worker who had the same lunch time as me had not come to the break area so I went back to the call taker room and gave her the usual  grief that she deserves. We walked to the break area together and while she was heating up some soup I went back outside to enjoy the sun for a few moments. My break time up I went back in and my friend looked at me with this strange look and said "there is an officer down". Without asking anything more I ran to the radio room dispatchers were yelling "who was it, who was it?"..."I need another med unit!"...."Tell me when the scene is secure!" .."I have several officers en rout where do you need them?"..."I need and update!"..."How many victims?".  All this was  occurring at the same instance yet for all the chaos we all acted as one well oiled machine. Within a matter of minutes which seemed like hours we went from an officer down, to two partys down, then suddenly a third party down. We knew one party was an officer and another was the suspect, a few more moments went by and we found out the third party was also an officer. At this point I was next to one of my supervisors who was close to one of the officers what was on scene, she was fairly sure he was one of the ones hurt but still we had no statuses of anyone. She then started calling the list of people required when things of this sort happen but being the backup center things weren't always where you need them so me and another dispatcher were running though the center to find the list of phone numbers, a couple of minutes later I located the book and was doing what I could to help my supervisor who was at this time visibly shaken up not knowing the status of her friend. Then we got the word, one party stable, one critical, and when we asked the third all she knew was that one was "code 73" which is the term you don't want to hear. "Is it the suspect or an officer?" The radio operator just turned around and shook her head, indicating it was an officer. It took a few more minutes to find out which one and it turned out to be the friend of my supervisor. She then did what few people would have been able to do.....she did her job. She kept at it until people from other shifts started to come in early and one by one we were relieved. Shortly after it was confirmed that an officer was gone one of the radio operators who had worked with this officer for many years was too upset and I told her to take a break and I took her channel for her. A few minutes later she came back but I told her that I had it and she can take all the time she needed. So for the rest of the day I was on the radio. From time to time I would turn around to check on my supervisor and she as still at her post yet it was taking all she had to keep it together.
A few people were understandably very upset, to the point where others stepped in and let them do what they needed to do, but supervisors do not have replacements and while people were assisting them they couldn't take a breather, all of ours stayed on the job and worked though this.

Today sucked.....bad.

Tomorrow we go back and do it again.

Got to love hippies

Yesterday I and some friends from work went to a local grocery store that advertises themselves as a "green" store. The one who suggested it goes to that store quite a bit and I always ragged her about it and called her a hippie but thought it would be funny to tag along and see what it was really like. All I have to say is WOW; I don't think I can ever call her a hippy again after seeing those people. I thought I was in Woodstock for a moment when I walked in. It was freaking hilarious. Everyone needs to go if not just for the comedic factor alone. The best part was the restrooms, they have a women's bathroom and a combined men's and women's bathroom, as in women can use either bathroom but there is only one that a man can use. Quite sexist if you ask me. Another great part about the bathrooms is they used high capacity toilets, tons of water wasted, no very environmentally friendly. In the freezer section they had some sort of a gas powered hearth running but nothing cooking in it, it wasted a lot of gas and as I just mentioned it was in the freezer section. Lot of heat generated in the freezer section which makes the freezers have to run that much more. Again, not very environmentally friendly. The reason my friend wanted to take us there was that she likes to shop there as the food is healthier than normal stores but these so-called progressives who claim to never want to hurt anyone's feelings or offend anyone are actually quite snobbish and she does not like to go alone. I got to see why at the desert section where one of my co-workers asked to buy something and the very hairy person behind the counter made of point of correcting the way she pronounced "pot du crème". He was an ass. Overall the items were overpriced and quite capitalistic in nature which was great when I saw the communist coffee mug for sale (made in china no less). I should have taken a photo of the "environmentally friendly" grocery bags that were made by African tribeswomen.....in Africa, flying those bags halfway across the globe sure saved some Al Gore carbon credits I'm sure.


We got many sneers and strange looks but I guess I would be crabby too if I wore bamboo undies

Wow

Has it really been since June that I did anything with the blog?
Gonna have to do better

An alarming amount of oil is headed towards our beaches and all the federal government is doing is placing the blame on BP....well DUH!

March totals and April goals

111,036 Extra steps taken and 6 pounds lost, I not only met my goal but exceeded it!
Starting tomorrow I will begin the EA Sports 30 day challenge. I will post results weekly. My goal for April is to meet my diet goal of 180 pounds, I only have 4 to get there.

Weight loss

I have reached my weight goal for the month and so far this year I have walked a quarter of a million extra steps.
I got EA Active a few days ago and will be doing a 30 day challenge in April.

Health care reform

On March 21st Obama said of the passing of the health care reform bill that the "government still works"
According to the Gallup polls 45% are in favor of health are reform while 48% are against it. This morning MSNBC has a online poll indicating 53.2% are angry about the bill while only 22.3 are happy about it.
So the question is Mr.President, just who does it still work for? Its not the people.

March Goals

Like last month I plan to walk 100,000 during my lunch and breaks at work. My starting weight is 189 and my goal is 185 by the end of the month.
Wish me luck.

February results

I missed my goal of 100,000 steps only making 89.149 but if not for the couple of days of snow I would have made it.
Still though more importantly I surpassed my weight goal getting down to 189. Only 9 more pounds to go.

Thank goodness for my net book!

Friday night my computer started overheating so I had to take it in to be repaired. They said 3 to 6 days to diagnose and fox the problem. If not for my netbook I would be totally offline. I love this thing.