The very beginning of Within the Trenches

The idea of this project actually began several years ago. I had just started working at Allegan County Central Dispatch and I noticed a significant difference from my previous dispatch positions. The calls were more frequent and the intensity was heightened. I was taking calls that I would have never imagined being someone on the outside. One day I was messing around on my computer and I made a movie teaser trailer that consisted of a black background and words describing the job of a 9-1-1 dispatcher. I added music and posted it within Yahoo video's and it was viewed many times. I even received comments saying that they couldn't wait for summer of 2007 when this came out. Well this was simply an idea at the time and since then the idea has evolved. I think the reason I kept up with it is because so many people had questions about my job and what I do. The curiosity of the public was so great that I felt the need to keep this idea alive. So, two years ago I created a video for my Digital Storytelling class that featured two of my co-workers. They shared a couple 9-1-1 stories and how they got into dispatching. From there the idea spawned an audio journalism piece as well as another video. The popularity of them and the curiosity of the public has pushed me to this Kickstarter project. People are interested in what we do as 9-1-1 operators and this is a way to let them in on our profession. I'm including the video that started my push and thank you all for pledging. I appreciate it more than you know. Keep sharing folks and we will hit the mark in no time.

Make sure to check out our Kickstarter project page and pledge and share!