Ep. 50: The Triple Threat: Dispatch to Police to Fire, with Jeni Lindstrom

Blue Grit Radio : the better cops and community podcast

First Responder World, as I called it, is riddled with crazy and amazing stories of triumph, life lessons on steroids (or any PEDs really, even SARMs if you wanna go there..), and intense things that only "we" and our families will ever truly understand.
You could break that down into specifics with every different role. So what happens when you have a strong individual who dives in and excels in not one, but THREE of them? Meet Jeni, one of my prior teammates in Police. She got her start with that goal in dispatching, something I have EXTREME respect for and tip my cap.
We talk about her experience in that realm, the bridge and insight on getting hired into the police field and the highs and lows therein. Which, spoiler alert, had an impact on leading her to serve in a different yet clearly meaningful way in the Fire service.
I had a pleasure getting to reconnect with my old friend and I'm excited to feature her wealth of knowledge for those coming into emergency response work, testing, and developing their careers and the challenges within.
And just because I remembered just now.. I remember when we were hanging out in a group off-duty and Jeni called out my discolored burn arm as a bad farmer's tan. THAT went over hilariously, since she hadn't learned of my story. Hysterical laugh face emoji. That's all.
From Jeni:
My name is Jeni Lindstrom and I’ve been in the public service field for the better part of 17 years. I started out as a 911 dispatcher for Port of Seattle Police and Fire Departments and enjoyed that career for just over 8 years. Eventually I decided to chase my childhood dream of becoming a Police officer and was hired by Kent PD in 2014.

During my time as a police officer I was lucky enough to be part of the departments range staff crew, crime scene team, peer support team and became a field training officer as well. After losing my partner Diego Moreno in the line of duty in 2018, I struggled with my mental health and decided I needed to make another change.

Leaving law enforcement and the people I loved working with was an incredibly tough decision. I applied to work as a firefighter and got hired with Tumwater Fire Department in 2019. I’ve been with TFD now for just over 4 years now and love it. I get to work as a CPR instructor in the middle and high schools and recently took over as the peer support coordinator for department.

Don’t forget to like, SHARE and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and more! This is the best way you can support this podcast, our message and support in the topics we discuss!
Please help us grow the positive conversations and community by liking, reviewing, and giving us a solid rating to help others find the show. Be well and stay gritty!
You can follow along with the most updated content on IG: @bluegritwellness ! Leave a comment, ask your questions at IG or email me at [e-mail] !
We are always talking about police and first responder wellness, how to be a cop, self development, career development, organizational culture and development and so much more! This isn't just to uplift the policing community and profession, but THE Community. Let's do it one conversation at a time!
music credit: Drive by AShamaluevMusic