Friday, April 3, 2020

Social distancing at work in Dispatch

It is surreal these days at work. Our Department's office are closed until further notice but Dispatch is working normal hours (subject to change). We have been ordered to practice social distancing, which is not a problem. Our work stations are well past the "six feet" recommendation. Law Enforcement officers are not allowed in Dispatch at all. If any of them need to pick up paperwork, we have to step outside and hand them sealed envelopes. All of those "nice-to-do" project put on a shelf are in progress. That is good. We are taking online classes for self-improvement - another positive.



We are practicing the cleansing of Dispatch as often as practical. We haven't resorted to wearing masks at work yet as some Communication Centers have done. Patrol activity has reduced due to the concern for field unit safety. Try explaining that to a frustrated public. Our calls remain about the same but the type of calls have changed. We are receiving more of the question calls normally taken by regional offices along with the usual queries. The boating season unofficially starts in April, but Lake Mead is almost shut down for boating. When it does open, it will be a "boat explosion". We will go from nothing to crazy in 60 seconds.

We all know this will eventually return to a "normal" at some point. What is weird is the quiet. The traffic outside is lessened. Many of the downtown casinos have shut off the lights. Some folks are out but the steady stream of folks enjoying the river walks, parks, and trails are gone. The BLM Fire cameras show ski parks without skiers or snowboarders. A series of storms expected this weekend will add more snow and leave a pristine layer of snow in the mountains, April is spring and I would be spending my off days planting flowers but the nurseries don't have any plant deliveries yet.

To all of my brothers and sisters in Public Safety and health care, stay safe. To everyone else manning the essential services, thank you and stay safe as well. For the rest, it will get better, just be patient.




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