Here is where we all can take a break from the REAL WORLD of handling emergencies and assisting the public.

Keep an eye on the time you spend surfing the links.... Synchronize your watch and take care NOT to be late for work.

If you're interested in quickly discovering (almost) all the Break Room features, you can simply jump ahead to the site Index. Goal-oriented visitors looking for the list of Comm Center links should click the 9-1-1 logo.

The Break Room contains personal observations and opinions
and does not reflect the position of my department.

This web-site was first created in June, 1996 on another server, shortly after I created my very first Home Page (where you can learn a little bit about the professional "me"). If you're interested in those kinds of things, you could also check out the story behind the Break Room.

Folks determined to discover personal stuff about me, or my pets - and even specifically about my two dachshunds - can jump right to those pages. The Index page will give you an idea of the total Break Room "scope" and there is also a text version of the navigation links on the left side of many of the Break Room pages. (I'm slowly changing to that format; you may find sections with their navigation links at the bottom of the page.)

You'll find an eclectic collection of things here at the Break Room: pages of categorized fun links of interest to absolutely anybody (and all of them "Safe Surfing!) and separate lists of Public Safety web-sites - for each "branch" of service. There are other whole sections dedicated to 9-1-1 dispatchers and our professional concerns, and a slew of stuff related to my own agency, its Professional Values Statement, the department's Communications Operator recruitment information and even the incidents currently being handled at my dispatch center. (Okay, that last one isn't really a Break Room feature - my agency provides it!)

I've even developed some Words of Wisdom for folks considering a career in Public Safety Communications and a section called Radio 101 to try to explain to field personnel what their dispatchers expect from THEM!

Cliff Bemis has written, performed and produced an absolutely wonderful CD single dedicated to the men and women who wear the CHP badge. I've created a special "Badge of the CHP" page here at the Break Room to feature his lyric and provide a link to his website where you can purchase the CD for a nominal fee.

Most dispatchers are familiar with the process of researching information through manuals and guides and "cheat-sheets" and help.files online (especially those of us using Computer-Aided Dispatch systems!) in order to complete some necessary transaction. It's no different HERE; just think of this site as a more entertaining version of an NLETS manual. Some stuff is a simple, quick keystroke or two away, but other items will require you to settle in and study them before you can fully appreciate the results. Also, if you're amused by technological humor, the happy little CAD terminal will take you to some jokes of that ilk.

The Break Room has received a variety of awards; I'd be delighted if you clicked ahead to see them.