Stories From the Road: First Responder Stories

“We take strange calls, we take funny calls, suicidal calls. Hearing gunshots over the phone – that’s so frustrating, because like I said, you beg them not to do it, and it doesn’t work. They do it anyway. The stress experienced by 911 dispatchers is what develops with listening to someone else’s absolute worst day every day. We listen to it every day, because people don’t call 911 when they’re having a good day.” – Dispatcher Justine

Before anyone can reach the front line, someone must answer a phone line. The “first” first responders, dispatchers serve as audial witnesses who have to listen carefully and question pointedly to ascertain the true status of a scene. Not only is the person on the other end of the phone relying on the dispatcher, but so are the police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who want to respond to a call effectively and safely.

Join former firefighter/paramedic Phil Klein as he sits down with Justine who, during her 27-year career in dispatch, heard everything from the humorous to the horrific. The daughter of first responders, Justine grew up more familiar than most with the critical role dispatchers play in assisting callers in an emergency until help arrives. She discusses the impact that hearing a baby’s first cry or a mother’s last breath has on dispatchers’ mental health and the importance of allowing them the time to step back and process what they’ve heard.

Are you a fan of Stories From the Road? Please take a moment to support this podcast on Patreon, and give it a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whichever platform you use to listen.

Support the show

“Coming together to fight this whole, like, “we eat our young” concept, and [...] to support trainees that are coming in – even though they are a lot different than the folks who have been doing it for 20 years – you know instead of trying to beat them down. All of these things are small but are gonna have huge results if we keep going with it.” -Sara Weston

It was the desire to make a difference, the unwavering belief of a friend, and a leap of faith that led Sara Weston to create a Facebook group for women in the 911 community. She hoped it would be a place for them to find what she discovered to be lacking during her college and initial professional experiences: mentorship, support, “camaraderie and confidence.” As one of just seven females in her college’s IT program, Sara quickly realized her journey would be anything but typical. That realization deepened when she began her career in a firm where young professionals – especially young women – were few and far between. Consulting on 911 technology embedded her in the public service community's important work, and she recognized the opportunity to embolden and empower other women in 911.

Join former paramedic/firefighter and host Phil Klein as he turns the mic over to Sara, 911der Women’s founder and executive director. Through workshops, mentorships, scholarships, and even yoga, the nonprofit’s programming aims to strengthen connections and offer tools and resources to help the women of the 911 community be successful. To learn more about this inspiring work, visit 911derwomen.com.

If you’re enjoying Stories From the Road, please take a minute to give us a five star review on Apple Podcasts or whatever platform you use to listen. Visit www.storiesfromtheroadpodcast.com for more bonus content and to stay up to date on the upcoming release of Season 3!

Support the show

“And the instant thought I had was, ‘I hope we don’t have catastrophic injuries. I hope we don’t have any deaths, because we are now on an island. The people to the west of us are being hit by this, people to the east of us are gonna be hit by this. To the south, to the north - they’re all being hit by this. We are on our own.’” – Coordinator Mindy
It’s been three years since the derecho swept through Iowa and, although the days following have since become a blur, Mindy vividly remembers the storm itself: the sickly green color of the sky, the tumbling temperature, and the pieces of corrugated steel peeling from the rooftops around her before becoming airborne. She also remembers the urgency of her work: the warning calls made to the communities in her jurisdiction, the reassurance delivered to coworkers with a calm she did not necessarily feel herself, and the focus brought to a flustered fire department.
Join former paramedic/firefighter and host Phil Klein, as he sits down with the podcast’s first emergency manager, Coordinator Mindy, who has spent 22 years in public service. Mindy discusses the work involved before, during, and after the derecho, how her concentration on the 17,000 people in her service area left her temporarily forgetting to take care of herself, and the important steps communities can take to make sure they are prepared for wind and weather disasters.
Thank you for listening! If you have a first responder story to share, please visit www.storiesfromtheroadpodcast.com to learn more about how you can be a guest on an upcoming episode.

Support the show

“We meet so many people in a single shift and, after a while, it does accumulate, but we may be the only first responders someone sees, let alone the last person they see or the last voice they hear on this earth.” - Paramedic Alexis
Flower petals and stems lay strewn about the seats of the car Alexis was photographing – along with brain matter and blood. Her eyes scanned the car’s mangled interior, and she wondered how the call, dispatched as a low-level trauma, could’ve ended up being this: a man fighting for his life, his car wrapped inextricably around a light pole after being clipped and spun by another driver who fled the scene. Upon learning the flight team would be unable to fly because of weather, Alexis headed to help her team transport the man to the hospital – but not before noticing a small card that had been dislodged from the bouquet and plucking it from the wreckage.
Join former paramedic/firefighter and host Phil Klein as he welcomes returning guest Paramedic Alexis. She recalls the rainy day in rural Louisiana nearly a year ago, when she and her partner were blindsided by the severity of an accident that they initially believed could be no more than a fender bender. She shares the heartbreaking note scrawled on the bouquet’s card, her endeavor to find and share the message with its intended recipient, and how its sentiments prompted Alexis to share a very important message of her own with her husband.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this story from Alexis, be sure to listen to her other episode, “Two Floors Up” from season four! Please take a moment to give Stories From the Road a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or whichever platform you use to listen. Visit www.storiesfromtheroadpodcast.com for more content.

Support the show

“I try to get a little more feedback – especially for the younger folk – to show them that what they do is worth it. ‘Cause a lot of times we show up and you’re just like, 'I don’t even know if I made a difference – does this matter?' And a lot of times, it matters a lot.” – Chief Scott

“Does this matter?” First responders don’t always have the opportunity to know how their work affects those they serve, and with limited feedback, it can be challenging for them to remember the profound impact they can have on others' lives. For Chief Scott, that inspirational reminder comes when he and his team respond to the scene of a two-year-old little girl drowning – and are then able to welcome her home from the hospital 50 days later with her family.

Join former firefighter/paramedic and host Phil Klein as he sits down with Scott, whose interest in EMS was sparked by his mother’s job as a nurse and solidified during his volunteer work in an ER. Now, 25 years into his career as a first responder, Chief Scott reflects on how calls involving children changed for him when he became a father, the importance of peer support, and how this story from the road encourages him to “keep grinding” and do the best he can each day.

Did you know Stories From the Road has more than 5,500 downloads? Please take a moment to give it a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or whichever platform you use to listen. Visitwww.storiesfromtheroadpodcast.com for exclusive content and merchandise.

Support the show