That is FANTASTIC that they have paid for other co-workers to get the surgery. What that basically says to me is that your perserverance will pay off in the end! I have heard you all are having a heat wave. I can't imagine that heat with all the stifling humidity. I went to KS with my mom when I was a teen and at 99 degrees and 99 percent humidity I thought I would die. AND my grandmother didn't have air conditioning. Just a little fan on top of the TV. Ugh! As for the burnout period for dispatchers, years ago when I started, I was told that IF you were gonna burn out, it would be in 2 years. Anyone who made it past that would tend to do it for a career....maybe not all in the same place though. It was funny but I left my first job after less than 2 years but couldn't hack being out of it. I needed that stimulation. I couldn't cope with office work, so I jumped right back into it. I have a love-hate thing with my job now. I love it much of the time, but sometimes the politics and overtime get to me. Every few months I convince myself I'm going to quit....then I take a deep breath and get over my PMS and am all better! Dina

Well, we have a really nice but really annoying trooper who goes out on a traffic stop like this: "I'll be on Wall near Court on ABC123" Then you sign him off. Then: "30, Make that Court near Adams." Then you sign him off again. Then: "30, it'll be Adams at Grand..." AGAIN... Then: "30, we're pulling into the AM/PM parking lot..." Urrrrghhhh!!!

Hey Dina, Very strange indeed to find out there are other "old timers" out there. ..I'm thinking we may very well be an oddity among our co-workers. Isn't the burnout period about 2 years for dispatchers? I dispatch for Chicago PD....very very busy there lately! We have an Extreme Heat Advisory going on right now....heat index is over 100 degrees....Extreme weather is what we deal with here, though...I swear we go from Winter right to sweltering heat around here. I've finished all of my required tests prior to seeking insurance approval...now I wait and wait....I'm pretty sure BCBS PPO will deny me the first try, but I'm ready to appeal it. Several co-workers have had WLS surgery, so I'm keeping a positive attitude. Awesome on your weight loss so far!! Congrats! Paula

Welcome to the board! Good to see more people coming in and checking this out! I'm Dina, have been dispatching since 1987 - so it looks like a lot of us old timers (gag to think that I'm an old timer!!!????) on this board! Yeesh - I'm not quite 39 years old. What am I - middle aged? Yikes! I started off at a small PD on the Oregon coast and moved on to work for the state police after that. I have been at my current job for 13.5 years. As for my surgery, I had mine March of 2004 and since my loverly insurance wouldn't pay, I hauled my butt off to Mexico where I was very very pleased with the care I received. I have lost 130 lbs so far and want to lose another 30-40 if I can. I would be happy with another 20-25 though. Nice to meet you - hope to see you all around more here! Dina

Hi Tami.... Congrats on your upcoming 20 years of dispatching! I've been dispatching since 1987, so I'm a little bit short of your 20 years. It's a fun job, don't ya think? Stressful, too....but I can't imagine being in another profession. I've worked for a couple of suburban police departments and currently work for a very large communications center. Summer weather brings with it a really crazy-busy-crazy-crazy-busy-busy time for our department. I'm looking forward to cooler weather and 911 calls slowing down a bit. I haven't had WLS surgery yet, still waiting to hear from insurance company. Awesome victory for you in your 92 lbs!! Congrats! Feel free to send me an email...so we can "dish" !! Paula T