Thursday, September 23, 2010

The many ways to skin a Kat (Vent warning)

What a cycle, whew it was a tiring one, one that pretty much beat you up repeatedly in every which way possible. God, it was a long 4 days. Talking to a suicidal woman who, while talking to me just realized the severity of what she had done (overdosed) and lost her mind. She was throwing up, hyperventilating, screaming, balling and there was just no doing with her. All of this, at the highest volume possible for about 15 minutes. I needed a five minute break after her, just to get my hearing back. Lets see after that what was it ... not the 'fuck you, I'm going to kill you bitch' no I tried not to laugh at him. Next day was a 13 month that was foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back and not breathing, listening to the mother lose her mind, sobbing and just gone. Husband was the only one that could speak and that was through mumbled 'oh my god'. And tonight, hmmm oh yes, 4 complaints lodged against me from 1 coworker, 3 completely bullshit. But I got hauled into the office anyways, I sit down. I know what it's about. I'd like to believe I'm over the teenage mentality of 'they're out to get me' but this coworker is making me doubt my stance.

I sit down and he has a call of mine on his desk. I can read enough of it upside down to know which one it is. 20 minute call goes down like this. 911 rings and a 10 year old girl is hysterical. A friend of her mothers is pounding at the door trying to break it down. She has a knife and is carving the door with it, threatening to kill everyone inside. Lovely. Kid is traumatised but she can tell me her address and her phone number. God love you kid, you brave soul. I enter a call to get help before the worst happens, this little girl is not in a good place in town and I doubt they make good solid doors out there that could take the beating on the door that I could hear. I pound the call in, let's get some help moving. Mother takes the phone and is pissed at the daughter for calling the police, I wanted to slap that woman. I get the mother's name, DOB, the friends name and age and pound her on the call. All the info goes, description everything. Friend is an upstairs neighbor who, when realizing police are being called goes back to her apt where there are 2 kids, 2 and 5. Lovely. Police get there, we handle it. Done. Okay the complaint lodged against that call, well there was 2 actually. 1st one, when I pounded in the call, I didn't put the 10 year old girls name in the call screen. Whoopde fuck. There's a psycho with a knife pounding on her door trying to kill people, girl's name is not top priority. Mother's name goes in on second sup, suspects name goes on the same second sup. Daughters name sixth sup but that is an officer safety issue apparently. I'm sorry. I'm a big advocate for officer's safety, nothing means more to me then keeping our own boys and girls safe, so that really offended me.

2nd complaint, when the address went in there are 2 different endings for the street. It can either be Random Drive or Random Connector. It should have been Random drive but my finger clicked the wrong one. I can understand that issue if I had not caught the mistake myself within 1 min, fixed it and informed the damn dispatcher. I'm human not a machine, I'm doing a million things at once; cut me a little slack.

The other two complaints are just argh, what! Both were for not staying on the phone for two other calls. And each time it wasn't necessary, all info was obtained, nothing could be gained from staying on, callers were not in danger. All four complaints were lodged by the same dispatcher. Well now I know another complaint will be issued from tonight cause I pissed her off. I didn't make, what she considered, a stupid call go away. Suicidal woman, no description, no anything at the casino. Bang that's it. She wanted to close it. I wasn't done with it. I could work something. Give me a chance. The woman had said she was going to kill herself to a help line that has a 888 number. luck upon luck I was able to do a successful trace and I got a payphone that she called from. I then said i could call the casino, dispatcher said don't bother you won't get anywhere. I told her doing something was better then nothing, which really pissed her off. I called the casino and wouldn't you damn well know it, they knew where that payphone was located. Good I have a better location now, the call was placed only a little while ago. They have video cameras. I got a description now. Guess who has to do their job now miss dispatcher. I turned a call you wanted to close into something you have to work on. Hopefully we can find this girl and get her the help she needs, no thanks to the high school mind set that seems to have taken over.

So yeah I figure 1st day back I'll be hauled into the office, maybe I didn't dot an i or cross a t. I don't care, I'm not perfect. I'm human. I make mistakes but I own them. I've been told I'm not the only one she does this too. Our managers are realizing that she is essentially bullying several people. I just joined the club. Sweet. Let's crash the club house eh? Why is that we can do a critical job that truly is about more then us, but we can't deal with each other. Someone can handle a robbery at gun point but they don't know how to tell someone that they work with, hey about that call you put in, do you think that could do this? Or did you know this?'

I don't know. I'm tired. I'm ranting. I'm still mad about the officer safety remark. I don't spread the shit at work so sadly that leaves any readers to hear about. I should add that a coworker seein my mood slide down the crap chute, played this video for me. I hearts it. I came home and found a link, here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfGBYtc6q_M&feature=related I'll see how my next cycles go, because as we all know, there are many ways to skin a Kat.

3 comments:

  1. awwwww
    *snugs* I know you're having a rough go of it. But obviously if mean co-worker is doing this to others then it's her issue not yours.

    Use this phrase "I understand I should have done this_______. I've just had a Teachable-moment." Bosses eat up that Obama line!

    Love ya!

    xx
    Jaxs

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  2. Sounds like you have been through the ringer...
    I'm glad you made it and thank you for sharing that vid!!! Hope stuff gets better.

    Jaxs that line is awesome.

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  3. Tks Jacks and 911R. I like that phrase jacks, I also like "I understand your an idiot and you should have done this ____" However even though mine will make ME feel better, yours might be more socially acceptable. Oh and 911R, the vid help me make it lol, you can hear it playing somewhere on the floor at least once a shift.

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