I always had my concerns about dispatchers but..............

[brentoli]

So why did the FBI want my fingerprints?

I'm calling my mom.

[emt322632]

Hey, look, it's not the police's job to control your little crotch fruit in your own home. Maybe next time she won't suck at that entire parenting thing.

hahaha..."crotch fruit"...

[unknown]

OH MAN where do I start?

First of all, Brent I was under the impression You where an EMT B? I am too, was required for the position I hold dispatch or not. HHmm, YUP they did a criminal back ground check on me before I was issued a license and so, well, that means EMS could have criminal backgrounds too, just like the cops, just like the dispatchers, and teachers and janitors, school bus drivers.............ok I will stop.

We all know that. We all get that point.

Hey, look, it's not the police's job to control your little crotch fruit in your own home. Maybe next time she won't suck at that entire parenting thing.

UMM I am not impressed by this statement, actually somewhat appalled. Are you a parent if you don't mind me asking?

In a perfect world we all have perfect children however there are cases where even the Best parents need help with troubled kids.

Do you know what Milk use to do to my child? Caused her to go nothing short of psychotic. Yes. Odd medical anomaly at best, it took years of frightful frustrating episodes of manic breakdowns and terror fits before we found this out. ( She also has a MEDICAL diagnosis of a Behavioral disorder to boot) There was a time or too I was on the verge of calling 911 because my darling little girl was not only hurting herself but me as well as I tried to calm her down out of her rage. I have had to take her to the doctor once for sedation. I was thinking after that trip, I should have had her transported in a safer manner- possibly via ambulance where she could have been properly restrained. I did what I could do at the time. End result was a mass of bruises that I got investigated over. Even the Social Services Case worker asked "Why didn't you just call for help?"

Now. What if I did?

So true. Calling 9-11 for something that is clearly not an emergency is just silly. If you can't handle your 12 year old daughter well that's your problem. Not ours...

I honestly couldn't help but laugh when I heard dispatch say that.

Nice REAL Nice. Love that compassion that is coming from you. So I suppose a psych patient is to be left alone to destroy themselves no matter what the case. Cause HEY why bother you with it- your just going to laugh about what a mess they are and how they are a waste of your time.

That news article didn't state why or what the circumstances where behind the childs erratic behavior. Just like the media to do that. Never do get the whole truth.

Please forgive me, as a mother who has been there done that, I am greatly saddened at the responses I have seen here.

[Michael]

"She also asked, "Why did you do this?" His taped answer, authorities later said, was an ironclad admission of guilt. For her cool professionalism, Hines was recognized as a Texas Telecommunicator of the Year."

Feeling kinda mixed about that. Call 911 in a medical emergency and expect to hear "cool professionalism" in the form of incriminating questions designed to elicit "an ironclad admission of guilt"? Might discourage calling 911, like this business. On the other hand, murder's not good, so maybe we should criminalize it, which will solve the problem.

Dwayne, please call your office.

[spenac]

that means EMS could have criminal backgrounds too, just like the cops, just like the dispatchers, and teachers and janitors, school bus drivers.............ok I will stop.

All right just for you communication specialists here is the rule in Texas for all EMS people:

DSHS does criminal history checks on every applicant whether applying for the first time or renewing a certification or licensure. Having a criminal history does not mean that you cannot be certified or licensed. However, if you do have a criminal history and fail to indicate that on the application, that is grounds for denial or certification or licensure. To accurately determine eligibility, a more thorough explanation, and additional documentation concerning a conviction(s) is required.

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/emstraumasystems/qicriminal.shtm

[emtannie]

EMS could have criminal backgrounds too, just like the cops, just like the dispatchers, and teachers and janitors, school bus drivers.............ok I will stop. .

Here, you can't get your provincial EMS registration without a criminal record check. You can't work without your registration. Why shouldn't dispatchers be subject to the same regulations?

UMM I am not impressed by this statement, actually somewhat appalled. Are you a parent if you don't mind me asking?

In a perfect world we all have perfect children however there are cases where even the Best parents need help with troubled kids..

OK.... I did find the "crotch fruit" comment funny. Everyone in EMS (and dispatch) has their sarcastic moments. We all have laughed at something that others would find inappropriate. I don't see where being a parent makes a difference.. I have yet to see a parent who hasn't made a sarcastic comment about someone else's parenting skills at some point. I am also fairly certain that almost everyone on this site, and in EMS has either thought, or even made the comment, that certain people shouldn't have allowed their gene pool to continue.

There are lots of options other than 911 if you need help with a child. Your doctor, the child's school, a psychologist, just for starters..... it is up to the PARENT to make the effort to try to work with the child. If there is a chemical / biological issue, so be it... but it is still the parent's issue, not the police's issue.

Please forgive me, as a mother who has been there done that, I am greatly saddened at the responses I have seen here.

As a non-parent, I could say the same about people who comment with the "you aren't a parent so you can't possibly understand." I wanted kids (but wasn't given that choice for medical reasons) ... I would have been a d*** good parent... I am a wonderful aunt to not only my biological nieces and nephews, but to a number of children of friends who consider me "aunt" to them. I have worked with troubled children and teens. My husband used to teach at a special needs school where he worked with Junior High, Special Needs, Violent kids... (the three strikes crowd). HE was the one to go to the police station in the middle of the night when one of his 14 year old students was picked up for trafficking... not the parents.... the parents couldn't be bothered....

Too many times we have all seen "parents" who spawned children not because they wanted them, but because "oops" or "if I have a baby, maybe he will stay" or "if I have a baby, I can stay on welfare" or any other host of reasons. These are the parents - and I hesitate to call them parents, because "parents" implies that they will actually do something positive to raise that child - that call 911 because they can't handle their child. Yes we don't know all the story in this case.... but I would bet my favorite beverage that the parent is one that spent too much time trying to be a friend to that child, and not a parent, and when it got out of control, didn't even try other avenues. Just my guess....

But I digress.... back to the original point... dispatchers SHOULD have to go through the same screening as EMS, Fire, and police... the departments that aren't are just lighting a fuse to a far larger bomb than what the article has already detonated.

[brentoli]

I am an EMT-B but it has nothing to do with my dispatched job, our agency certifies EMD thru Powerphone 24 hour course.

To get my job, I had to have a criminal background check done for NCIC and IDACS (Indiana's version of NCIC).

I understand that not all EMS dispatchers would have access to NCIC files. But, if you have a joint dispatch agency, there are at least background checks ran. I don't know what they look for though, I am assuming it is A Misdemeanor's and felonies.

[Dustdevil]

So why did the FBI want my fingerprints?

I'm calling my mom.

To determine if you had any FELONY convictions, or any misdemeanour convictions that your agency may find disturbing about you. Misdemeanour convictions are rarely an absolute disqualifying factor for public safety jobs. Generally, they only care about so-called "crimes of moral turpitude". Victimless misdemeanours -- except for drug offences -- are usually given a good bit of slack in the hiring process, as well they should be.

Just don't get caught tearing the tag off of your mattress, or you can hang your career aspirations up forever.