I am a 9-1-1 Dispatcher for the county that I live in. We dispatch all the fire, EMS, and police for the entire county, with the exception of the State Police. We also take after hours calls and pages for Coroner, Children and Youth, Probation, and Sheriff Dept.
Before that, I was a stay at home mom from the time my son was born until my daughter was 7 weeks old.
Being a 9-1-1 Dispatcher is a thankless job, but I wouldn't give it up for anything. I just wish I could get people to remember, when you are thanking your Fire dept for responding to the fire at your house, or thanking the ambulance for responding to your medical emergency, or thanking the police for helping you out, if it weren't for the dispatchers sitting in the communications center, none of these people would get to you. We are your first contact in an emergency.
Remember: Seconds save lives and dispatchers save seconds.