TIP Stuff

I attended the monthly TIP Continuing Education meeting last Friday morning at the Multnomah County River Patrol. It was so fun! I learned a lot of information too, which was really interesting. And got to see the fancy boats they get to use :) We got a nice and surprising cruise along the Columbia River by two lovely sheriffs that lasted at least an hour. The sun was out and the water was great! We cruised near the airport and Glenn Jackson bridge, and then turned around and cruised underneath the I-5 bridge near Jantzen Beach.

After the meeting was over, I was at home and got a phone call from Sharon, the new Crisis Team Manager. She told me that her and June and Dawn were at lunch after the meeting and were discussing how they thought I might be a good fit for Team Dispatcher. This is the person that sends volunteers out on calls when 911 requests one. I have spent the last year or so talking with a few fellow dispatchers about how I'd like to become one, but just never thought I could realistically make the time commitment. It's 7 straight days of either AM or PM shift, and I was in school and working crazy hours at my job before. Now that I am in transition and my life is lined up, I am totally available. And now there Sharon was, offering it to me! I didn't truly realize that I could actually DO it until I found myself saying "yes!" We talked a bit about logistics, and she invited me to the bi-monthly Dispatcher Meeting, which is tomorrow night. I met with her today and went over the Training Manual and she showed me the pager and how to read calls that come through. She also showed me how to access the website and create the necessary things for my volunteers that I send out. So hopefully I will get a pager tomorrow at the meeting to carry around with me for a couple weeks, and to watch what kinds of calls come up and ask questions if I need.

My first week of dispatching is September 29-October 5th, so say  a few prayers for me if you can! That I will be able to be efficient and get volunteers going on calls in a quick manner. The entire process is supposed to take 4 minutes, so pray that I will be able to have calm nerves :)

I am truly excited to see TIP from this aspect and add some more experience to my belt (and resume). Mostly, I am just happy to keep serving people in awesome ways through TIP :)