California Emergency Dispatcher Association Newsletter

Getting to Know Your Board…

Northern Director,
Duaine Hoerth

I was born and raised in California. I’ve lived here my entire life, except two years, when I was in the Military.  I spent most of those two years in Germany and loved every minute I was there.  If I had a chance to live in any other country, it would be Germany.

I started my career in Law Enforcement at the age of nineteen.  I started as a Police Reserve for Manteca Police Department back in 1981.  I decided that Law Enforcement was the career path I wanted to follow but, couldn’t be a Police officer until I turned twenty one years old.  At the age of twenty, I decided to join the U.S. Army as a Military Police officer.  After completing my tour in the Army, I returned to California and attended the Police Academy.  After testing for several Police Agencies, I was hired by Manteca Police Department as a Full time Police Officer.  This was where my journey to the position of 9-1-1 Dispatcher began. 

About two years into my career as a Police officer, I was playing football for the Manteca vs. Tracy Pig Bowl.  During the game I injured my knee.  While I was lying on the field, the Chief of Police, who was also playing in the game, came over and said “Kick some dirt on it, it will be ok” (remember that as it will be coming up later).  After having surgery on my knee, I was placed on light duty.  You will never guess where they put Police Officers on light duty.  Yep, you guessed it, Dispatch!!  That is when I learned how to dispatch.  This wasn’t a bad thing.  We were short handed and every time a backup dispatcher was needed, I was paid overtime at police officer wages to cover the shift. 

After three years, I became a K-9 Officer.  This had been my dream and I loved every minute in that position.  I miss being a K-9 officer the most.  Five years into my career, my journey took a different path.  On September 23rd 1991, I went for a casual motorcycle ride in the hills just outside of Tracy.   During the ride, I was involved in an accident and in a split second, life as I knew it changed forever.  I had broken my back and became paraplegic.  After surgery, the Doctors told me that I would never walk again.  You could imagine what I was thinking.  If it weren’t for the support of my family and friends, I don’t know where I would be today.  I still remember when the Chief of Police came to see me in the hospital.  I looked him in the eye and said “I’ll just kick some dirt on it and it will be ok”.  I have learned to live by those words.  Nothing in life can be so bad that kicking a little dirt on it wouldn’t help.  So my career as a 9-1-1 Dispatcher begins. 

Don’t Get Comfortable Just Yet…!

by Traci Fitzsimmons

As most of CAL-EDA's members may be aware, this agency began as the CTDA (California Tactical Dispatch Assoc.).  My agency had a Tactical Event last week. Although I am one of the Tactical Dispatchers, I didn't find out about it until the day it occurred. My manager, when questioned, advised me that "when the event was discussed, I just didn't wrap my mind around the fact that it was a "Tactical" event". She basically forgot about the team.  The day of the event, I was angry that we had been overlooked. My attitude in the dispatch room reflected this and I stayed in a snit about it most of the day. It wasn't the best reaction, I know.  What I didn't consider in my anger was that, this comes back to me. As the charter member of my Tactical Team, I realize I have failed in some way. The very fact that my manager actually FORGOT that we have a Tactical Dispatch Team (TDT), I attribute to my own lack of -for want of a better word- ADVERTISING.