I became a 911 dispatcher for a neighboring county in early 2006. At the same time, I took a class and became a certified Emergency Medical Technician-Basic.
I entered the world of EMS with a vengeance. For one, nights spent volunteering on the ambulance were nights away from the pain of being home with my husband. As a dispatcher, at the end of the day, I truly felt like I had helped someone, in some small way. I dispatched full time for just over a year, and in that time, was thrown into the middle of some insane, some scary, some hilarious, some downright sad situations. At the volunteer rescue squad, I was nicknamed The Black Cloud. In EMS, that means that you are like a magnet for all the craziness. The squad's medic would not move from the bay for two days, and then I would come on duty and there would be four or five calls in a row. (Now that I am a part time dispatcher in another jurisdiction, I have re-earned my nickname. I keep my deputies busy all night long!) I loved staying busy and running all night long. My favorite days in dispatch were those when the phone rang and the radio chattered non-stop. I was a fast learner who was good at her job.
It was through friends in EMS that I met Scott. My friend Jeff, a volunteer paramedic and a career EMS administrator for the state, worked for the Peninsula EMS Council, which Scott was on the Board of Directors for. One night Jeff and I were out with a group of EMS people, and I spotted Scott. He was dancing and singing and had a huge smile and seemed to know EVERYONE in the room. I asked Jeff if he knew who "that guy" was. His response? "Who Scott? Sure... everyone knows Scott." Well I didn't. Jeff introduced us then, in a loud and crowded bar. We barely spoke two words to one another. That was it. I had no idea I had met my future husband.
The next day a large group of EMS folks met up for lunch. Scott was in that group, as well as I. When we got to the restaurant, Scott positioned himself at the table so that he was near me. (He denies this fact even today, but it is absolutely true! I have Jeff as a witness!) Being the friendly guy he is, he struck up a conversation right away. He asked me how I knew Jeff, where I worked, if I had children, and of course, if I was married. I explained I knew Jeff through our volunteer squad, that I was a dispatcher, that I had two children, and that I was newly separated, in the process of divorce. I learned Scott was divorced, had three children, and that he was the Chief of Emergency services for his jurisdiction, and one of the youngest emergency coordinators in the state. I also learned that his eyes twinkled when he smiled and that he was, like me, a Dallas Cowboys fan. By the end of lunch, I had been asked to dinner.
The rest is history. I took things slow with Scott in the beginning. I was afraid of relationships, determined never to get married again, and mostly terrified of being hurt by a man again. Of course, never say never!
I entered the world of EMS with a vengeance. For one, nights spent volunteering on the ambulance were nights away from the pain of being home with my husband. As a dispatcher, at the end of the day, I truly felt like I had helped someone, in some small way. I dispatched full time for just over a year, and in that time, was thrown into the middle of some insane, some scary, some hilarious, some downright sad situations. At the volunteer rescue squad, I was nicknamed The Black Cloud. In EMS, that means that you are like a magnet for all the craziness. The squad's medic would not move from the bay for two days, and then I would come on duty and there would be four or five calls in a row. (Now that I am a part time dispatcher in another jurisdiction, I have re-earned my nickname. I keep my deputies busy all night long!) I loved staying busy and running all night long. My favorite days in dispatch were those when the phone rang and the radio chattered non-stop. I was a fast learner who was good at her job.
It was through friends in EMS that I met Scott. My friend Jeff, a volunteer paramedic and a career EMS administrator for the state, worked for the Peninsula EMS Council, which Scott was on the Board of Directors for. One night Jeff and I were out with a group of EMS people, and I spotted Scott. He was dancing and singing and had a huge smile and seemed to know EVERYONE in the room. I asked Jeff if he knew who "that guy" was. His response? "Who Scott? Sure... everyone knows Scott." Well I didn't. Jeff introduced us then, in a loud and crowded bar. We barely spoke two words to one another. That was it. I had no idea I had met my future husband.
The next day a large group of EMS folks met up for lunch. Scott was in that group, as well as I. When we got to the restaurant, Scott positioned himself at the table so that he was near me. (He denies this fact even today, but it is absolutely true! I have Jeff as a witness!) Being the friendly guy he is, he struck up a conversation right away. He asked me how I knew Jeff, where I worked, if I had children, and of course, if I was married. I explained I knew Jeff through our volunteer squad, that I was a dispatcher, that I had two children, and that I was newly separated, in the process of divorce. I learned Scott was divorced, had three children, and that he was the Chief of Emergency services for his jurisdiction, and one of the youngest emergency coordinators in the state. I also learned that his eyes twinkled when he smiled and that he was, like me, a Dallas Cowboys fan. By the end of lunch, I had been asked to dinner.
The rest is history. I took things slow with Scott in the beginning. I was afraid of relationships, determined never to get married again, and mostly terrified of being hurt by a man again. Of course, never say never!
