I finished putting up the Christmas and decorations shortly after Thanksgiving. My daughter especially enjoys this time and likes tradition. The boys on the other hand are starting to act like their father the “Scrooge,” asking “Why do we have to drag all this stuff out? We’re just gonna have to drag it all back to the shed in 4 weeks.”

I remember my husband telling the kids that Santa wasn’t going to be able to make it this year, that he had finally gotten caught breaking and entering and that Christmas was being canceled. One year, he said Santa had finally had a heart attack from high cholesterol and lack of exercise. But of course, Santa always made it no matter what. Back when the kids were still believers, I worked night shift and was always able to be there on Christmas morning with them. Now that they’re older, I’m on day shift, and for the last two years I’ve missed Christmas. With it, I’ve missed going to Nana and Papa’s for breakfast casserole and seeing all my brothers and their families for the big day. My daughter, whines for weeks before that I’m breaking tradition and that Christmas isn’t the same if Dad and I aren’t there. But she now understands how important our jobs are and that someone has to be on duty.

Being away from family and friends to work on special holidays really stinks. But we knew when we took our jobs in public safety that we don’t close. At least most of us did. I still get amazed at people who look at the schedule with amazement while they’re declaring, “What do you mean, I have to work Christmas Day (or my birthday or Mother’s Day)?!” Someone has to be there to answer the calls. We know all too well that crime and emergencies don’t take a holiday.

I’ll never forget several years ago that we had not one but two officers walk off the job one year during a hurricane callout after day 2 of living at the station. A seasoned officer, who was known for being a bit of a smart aleck, once told a group of complaining rookies, “This is what we do, the public is depending on us to be here to keep order until the power is restored. There is no one else. This is what you signed up for. Now suck it up!”

One dispatcher and her officer husband missed a family reunion in another state because of Hurricane Charley. She was devastated of course, so the rest of us gave her a little extra leeway. But she knew after years in the public safety field that sometimes these were the types of sacrifices that had to be made from time to time. Sometimes we hate it, and sometimes we love it, but this is what we do—the job that no one else wants or can do.

As I sit here writing this, I can’t help but be sad. I’m looking at the single blue light that burns in my window for the fallen who are no longer with us. As much as we should be happy and joyous during the holiday season, the news over the last couple of days has me in a somber mood. The holidays tend to bring out the mentally unstable, the depressed and the suicidal, and this year seems to be at an all time high. I can barely keep track of all the line-of-duty deaths over the past couple of weeks. I’m sure the economy today might have something to do with the rise in suicides and those willing to take someone with them. Our center alone has seen a steady rise in threats, attempts and successful suicides. And as anyone knows in our line of work, the rise in thefts, robberies and domestic violence also come along with the holiday commercials. The stress of the season seems to be too much for some, and sometimes their inability to deal with the pressure becomes our problem as well. And as we have seen in recent events, the outcome doesn’t always go in our favor. We have lost so many brothers this year.

So to my family in the field, please be safe. Remember your training. Never become complacent. Make sure your equipment is in good working order and stored properly in your vehicle. Remember you won’t always get a second chance when things go bad. Like my smart aleck friend used to say; “This isn’t 7-11. You can’t call the manager to void the sale and re-ring it if we make a mistake.” That of course is the PG version! Remember your co-workers inside care about you, too. They may not show it sometimes, but they do.

And my family inside, remember your field personnel. Hopefully, it will be a slow and uneventful holiday. But there are times that your first responders will see things that aren’t so pleasant. They will see children in situations that no child should ever have to be in. People do crazy and stupid things to each other, and regrettably, we are the ones they call to rescue them. It can be hard on anyone to have to see what they have to see.

And to each other, be kind. You seasoned folks remember what it’s like for the rookies to have to give up the holidays for the first time and help them through it.

As I said before, working the holidays stinks. In a perfect world, we could all spend the day with our families and loved ones. However, there are things we can do to make it through.

My center does all kinds of things for the major holidays. We bring covered dishes in and chip in for the main dish for the bigger meals. Our director brings in turkey or ham for the shifts that have to work on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We have theme days where we bring in food to match whatever we may be celebrating. Recently, we had Comfort Food Sunday (for no reason!) and had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, collard greens and peach cobbler for dessert.

Admin lets us wear plain clothes on the major holidays. Some shifts have Secret Santas or shift parties or luncheons outside the center. One shift went a step further and had a themed gift exchange. It was an “As Seen on TV” gift exchange. This year it’s a spending limit of $1. That should be fun.

At my old department, which was much smaller, we dispatchers would invite the officers in off the road on their dinner breaks and have meals with them. It was a great way to get to show our appreciation for them. Officers and officers’ wives would bring us goodies—most of the time food! Some road supervisors would allow their shifts to split and work half days so they could spend at least half the day with their family on Christmas. Some of us even went as far as swapping days with each other. Those of us without children would work the day for those that did.

Remember that it can be difficult on all of us to have to work on Christmas and other major holidays. Be kind to each other and above all else, be safe. I am thankful for each and every one you. You help keep my family safe during the holidays and every day of the year.

Finally, my heart, thoughts and prayers go out to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice. And to the families of those who are missing those wonderful heroes please know that you are also in my thoughts this and every holiday season. I place that blue light in my front window every year to remind my family of those who have fallen while serving us.

I wish you all joy, happiness and a beautiful and prosperous new year. Be safe.

About the Author
Cindra Dunaway is a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office. Contact her via e-mail at cdunaway@sheriffleefl.org.