An interview with Isabella Ethredge, first responder for St. Clair & Blount County, AL & Girls’ Ranch resident from 2005-2017.
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- Isabella in 2005 at the Girls’ Ranch
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- Isabella on the job
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- Isabella & Bear
What lessons learned at Big Oak help in your position as a First Responder?
At the Ranch, I grew up with a house full of girls. I learned how to read and be patient with people. I learned how to talk to my sisters when they were upset or down. And I learned how to just listen when they needed to talk. Listening to my sisters’ problems and giving advice to them prepared me for the job I have today. Because the same way I listened to my sisters, I listen to the callers who are going through some of the hardest times in their lives.
Are there any moments in your life that help you relate and assist during emergency situations?
I remember my parents fighting when I was little. I heard screaming and I would see my dad kick my mom while she laid on the floor. I relate to the little kids who call in about their parents fighting. I understand their emotions and fears because I was that little kid. Because I relate, it’s easy for me to calm them down and make them feel safe until officers arrive.
What gifts or talents do you bring to your job and those working with you?
At work we have good days and bad days. We deal with the worst things that could happen in someone’s life back to back. Work gets hard, and it can bring us down (I call it a funk). I’m a very happy and upbeat person, so my personality helps pep up the room when we get down. Some callers are frantic and sometimes screaming and crying, which makes them hard to understand. We have to get certain information from them in order to send help, so being patient helps with the job.
Is there a particular call or calls that are especially difficult and how did you work through those moments?
The calls that get to me the most are the suicidal callers. They normally call in as a last resort, or they call in so we find their bodies before their loved ones do. Sometimes we aren’t able to talk them down. To deal with it, I’ll normally step outside and play some music and walk it off then go back in ready for the next call.
How do you productively process working with people during their most traumatic moments in life?
My off days are the days I really process all the calls. Other days my friends and Bear, my dog, help me let loose and clear my head. Friends and family play a big role in First Responders’ lives, because just being there to cheer us up means the world and makes a difference.
Do you have a favorite story to share from your position as a First Responder?
One morning a frantic mom called and said her 4-year-old son was missing. She had looked everywhere. I began to think the worst but remained calm and asked her to check the closets, the shower and the washer and dryer. She still couldn’t find him. Then she walked in his bedroom and he was asleep in his bed. Just hearing the sound of her happy tears and the relief in her voice made my day. That was one of the good days.
