Another late night....with Mr. Branch

One of the drawbacks to being a dispatcher?

OVERTIME

Second shift in a row I'm staying late. Secret squirrel stuff going on, and I'm poised, ready, waiting....for ???? I know where MY guys are - and they answer for status checks. Some time soon, I'm going to go out when they have another detail like this one and ride with one of the Game Wardens.



The Dispatch room switches from shivering cold to hot without any warning. No, it's not my hormones playing games. The thermostat here is whacky - we layer clothing here. Currently, it's cold. Not as cold as when I arrived at work back at 1300 hours ( I swear it was warmer outside) but chilly. Speaking of chilly, winshield was dirty when I left work the other night. It was so cold out, the windshield water fluid froze on the widshield.

The big problem is staying alert after 10 1/2 hours. Radio stations are playing talk shows (that sucks). If I look at my audit project any more today, my eyes will detonate. Policy writing is not the most exciting part of a job, but forget about it after 2300 hours.

Watched the latest NHL Shanahan suspension videos. Watched the San Jose Sharks Christmas video. Joe yanking "Slappy" away from Dan and Patrick was funny. I bet that doll ends up in many lockers, cars, and hotel rooms.

That reminds me of a story...many years back in a city not in Nevada...

Big storm comes through the Bay Area. Pretty typical for winter & spring. Well, this large branch breaks off a tree and falls in to the street. Helpful 9-1-1 caller says we 'have to get it before something bad happens' or words silimar to those. Send Mr Policeman to check it out, becuase Firefigters don't want to get out of bed for a tree down unless there really IS a TREE down. The offending limb is retrieved from the streets by Mr. policeman.

It should have ended there...but, nope, it didn't. The branch, appropriately named "Mr. Branch" started dhowing up around the station, in locker room, and even in a squad car. I bet the gag would have gone on for a while if it hadn't been for the brain surgeon who threw in the backseat of his vehicle and slammed the door shut. Only, the branch was put in the vehicle cockeyed.

Wanna guess what happened next?

So, after the Sgt. was notified about the broken back window of the squadcar, and the responsible limb disposed of, we all had a big laugh (at least everyone but the guy who had to write the damage report).

Aww...the life of a late night dispatcher.

Stay safe out there!