When The Call Hits Home | Episode 8: The Unsung Heroes

Jennifer [00:00:07]:
Hi. I'm Jennifer Woosley Sailor. I'm a licensed professional clinical counselor and the kid of a cop. And this is the podcast when the call hits home. Hey, everyone. It's Ashlee Gethner.

Ashlee [00:00:18]:
I'm a licensed clinical social worker, and I'm also a child of a police officer.

Jennifer [00:00:24]:
Welcome back to the podcast. This is Jennifer Woosley, licensed professional clinical counselor.

Ashlee [00:00:29]:
And I'm Ashlee Gethner, a licensed clinical social worker. I mean, today, we have a really special episode because we have Britney Collins on. And one of the coolest things about this, and I'm so excited, is that she listens to us. So she is a part of the When the Call Hits Home family. And that's how we got connected, and I think that's super amazing because we were able to message each other. And she's like, I relate with you guys so much. And I think that was so heartwarming because this is exactly why we're doing this. So it's an honor to have her as a guest today, and we're gonna hand it over to you, Britney, to introduce yourself.

Brittany Collins [00:01:05]:
Good morning, everyone. My name is Britney Collins. I started listening to when the call hits home from a friend posting it on Facebook, and it really hit home because it was about her dad being a first responder. And my father is a first responder, was a first responder, a firefighter. And so that's how I got hooked. But, also, I have 3 uncles that are firefighters, and my husband's a firefighter. And I have been on and off a 911 dispatcher for the last 11 years as well. So I live out in the country with my 5 kids, my amazing husband.

Brittany Collins [00:01:42]:
We have goats, chickens, barn cats, and a dog. I chose this year to be a stay at home mom again, with my littlest one, and that's kinda where I'm at now.

Ashlee [00:01:55]:
Okay. So we're all

Jennifer [00:01:56]:
going to your house. Yeah. Thank you so much, Britney, for sharing that. And especially sharing, you know, when the call gets home, how it hit home a little bit in terms of that experience. That is wild. I don't know what it's like to have first responder uncles. So tell me a little bit about growing up in such a first responder, like family extended family. Like, this is just what grown ups do, I assume, is what you're thinking when you're a kid.

Brittany Collins [00:02:24]:
Right. I mean, it was crazy because my dad didn't grow up wanting to be a firefighter. He grew up wanting to be a teacher like his dad. And he kind of they actually his 1st year teaching, they let him go. And he had just gotten married with my mom, and so my dad's like, oh, cool. I just got married and now I don't have a job. So my mom's uncle at my mom's brother at the time, I was a Chicago fireman, and he's like, just take the test. Like, there you have tests all the time.

Brittany Collins [00:02:52]:
I'm not sure if it's the same like it was back in the day it is now, but it's normally like a physical, written, a lot of different tests interviewing. But he was telling they play softball together in the city in Chicago. And so where I feel like all all dads or all grown men like to hang out and play softball, live their high school days again. But,

Jennifer [00:03:13]:
I got a dad just like right. Yeah.

Brittany Collins [00:03:16]:
So he mentioned that dad took the test. He got another teaching job, and then it kinda came up again. And he was kinda like, why not? The big thing was, like, job security. That was huge, obviously, since he just had gotten laid off as a teacher, but also kind of the flexibility with the schedule so he could still be a sub. Coaching was huge for him. His actual his nickname at the firehouse is coachee or the barn boss. So he coached I mean, wrestling, football, baseball. He stuck with baseball the most.

Brittany Collins [00:03:49]:
Yeah. So that was how my dad got into it from my mom's brothers. And then 2 of her brothers, one with Chicago, one Schaumburg, and then her brother-in-law is Elk Grove Village. So I feel like the holidays were kind of funny. It was always like, okay. They're all on different shifts. Who's not gonna be at one holiday? Which you guys talk about as well that, you know, there's just some days that they can't make it. So it's it fluctuates.

Brittany Collins [00:04:18]:
There's a I don't think there was ever a time where they were all on the same shift, but I think there's a few where, like, a majority were. So that was nice that there was kind of an open date that everyone could try to be there.

Ashlee [00:04:29]:
And I have to say, it's so interesting. It's such a small world because Schaumburg out grove, that's right next to where my dad was a police officer. So we connected on that because I was like, oh my gosh. It would be wild if our family has crossed paths before and we didn't even we didn't even recognize that. So my dad was Hoffman Estates and so it's super close to each other.

Brittany Collins [00:04:48]:
Right. And then I when I my first dispatching job was at Northwest Central, which is in Arlington Heights, and we did Hoffman Estates. And there there's, I think, 11 surrounding towns at the time. So it was yes. Definitely a connection.

Ashlee [00:05:01]:
It's a small world that we live in. So how did your parents' job influence your childhood and kind of your perspective on life?

Brittany Collins [00:05:08]:
Yeah. It's, you know, the pluses and minuses of everything. I guess one of I wouldn't say it's a negative, but I'm kind of, like, think worst case scenario all the time. You know, just yeah. Making sure that you're making the right choices or making sure that everything is going right, but just also knowing, like, the risks that everything entails and make sure, like, is it worth it? And my dad was, like, very big. Like, we joke with him all the time. He was, like, safety police. Like, he's, like, don't do that.

Brittany Collins [00:05:38]:
Like, don't do that. Like, make sure you're doing this. Like, just all the time because he just wanted to keep us safe. Because, obviously, he's seen the other side of it and never wants us to be a part of that side. Also, like, family first. Like, that was huge for him. Growing up, he was an only child, and so that was kind of hard on him. He wished he had siblings so much.

Brittany Collins [00:06:01]:
Then when he got on the fire service, you, like, immediately in inherit brothers. So I think that was amazing for my dad to have. And he, I would say, is a little uptight. And so a lot of the guys gave him it was just such a playful kind of environment that it was amazing for him. So he always told us because I'm one of 3. I'm the oldest, and then I have a brother and a sister. And he would just harp on us a lot. They're your family.

Brittany Collins [00:06:28]:
Like, they're always gonna be there for you And, just always keep in touch no matter what happens. Like, you guys can get through it. Also, like, rules are in place for a reason. You're the big follower. Like, just the silliest thing. I mean, I guess, like, wearing a life jacket, like, at all times. Like, even when you're like, okay, dad. It's 3 feet of water.

Brittany Collins [00:06:50]:
We'll be fine. He's like, no. If you get if you're on the water, you gotta wear a life jacket. And just the stuff like that or, you know, try to bending the rules a little bit, like senior skip day in high school. He was like, absolutely not. Why would you do something like that? Like, you need to be in school. And then you're being a representation of our family. So, like, you're a direct reflection of your mom and dad.

Brittany Collins [00:07:15]:
And just like your name is a big thing, and that's kinda, I feel like, in the fire service as well that your name holds a lot of clout, how you are, what type of person you are, and just holding yourself to a high standard that other people can respect you and trust you like that. And always just helping someone in need no matter what. Like, that was huge. And I feel like that every day, putting people ahead of myself. Being a stay at home mom, that happens a lot, with having 5 kids. Just kind of anything, I mean. And also, God played a big part in our lives too that always pray and it'll happen. And God's there for us and he has a plan for us.

Brittany Collins [00:07:59]:
So that's kind of all the perspectives from my my dad.

Jennifer [00:08:05]:
Those are beautiful, beautiful. And I appreciate you sharing each one of those and your faith, obviously. That's a beautiful thing. Taking from that and those experiences with your dad, what kind of stands this is a 2 part question. What kind of stands as, like, the most as an adult, man? I'm really grateful for that aspect and and how first responding, how firefighting kinda played into that. And then I have a follow-up question after that.

Brittany Collins [00:08:31]:
Sure. I guess, like, hard work, like, that is a big thing that I kind of really, like, hit homes with me about. I mean, working out is kind of a big thing in sports, like we talked about before and that you guys have mentioned as well. My dad made a coach, my brother playing baseball with him all the way through high school and into college. My sister and I played volleyball all the way through high school and into college. And just the hard work. Like, you're not gonna be the best, but you can practice and get better every day. And feel like the fire service too.

Brittany Collins [00:09:07]:
I mean, just learning every aspect of your truck, learning every aspect of a certain call that you're gonna go on. My dad is kind of an anomaly where he ended up staying and choosing to stay in the ambulance for all the 32 years of his service, which normally when you hit, like, 15 or 20, you start looking to test to wear a white shirt, you know, or get to headquarters or something like that. And my dad very much enjoyed just being with the guys and being at the station with them and being at the same level with them. And so and also, I guess, being a good influence with that. You know, like, younger guys coming in, you they don't know what to expect. And depending on what house you're in or what kind of history that your department has depends on how everyone gets treated. And so, you know, being a father figure, being a good example is something that he you know, all the guys looked up to him and it showed too with he recently passed away, in November. And so when that happened, like, just people came out of the woodwork for him.

Brittany Collins [00:10:13]:
And, like, that was everything that they said about him was that he is just an amazing person. They looked up to him. Like, their lives are different because of him being in it. Right. And so that, I guess, is you know, him making them better is just amazing.

Jennifer [00:10:35]:
Yeah. Well, I think that's so beautiful to hear how he was honored by his brothers and that you heard that as his daughter as well. You know, those kind words. And, you know, we can kinda look up to our parents as heroes, but to recognize the people standing next to him saw him as that as well. Like, that says so much about him, Britney. Thank you for sharing that. Well, thanks. I did wanna follow-up in terms of I do think that's again, hard work is awesome and what a great gift to kinda pass down to your kid.

Jennifer [00:11:08]:
But was there any aspect of those things that you kinda shared in those experiences and, you know, kinda always being prepared, following the rules? Anything that felt a little like, oh, yeah. This is heavy or this is a lot.

Brittany Collins [00:11:22]:
Yeah. I mean, especially, like I said, when he would tell us, like, you're an exact representation of your mother mother and father. So, like, how you act out in public, how you act in school, any of that and, you know, like, kinda carrying on the name. And so that was extremely heavy. I mean, you didn't wanna mess up. I mean, his you know, don't disappoint me in a sense. Like, that That word.

Jennifer [00:11:46]:
That's what got me every time when I was growing up.

Brittany Collins [00:11:50]:
Yep. Like, anytime I'd leave, he'd be like, make sure you're making the right choices and being a good girl. I'm like, okay. Well, now, like, I can't even, like, lie about taking a piece of candy or something, you know. Like, something that's so significant in a sense, but it was just like that angel, you know, sitting on your shoulder that I mean, it's good, but, yes, it weighs because I guess along the lines of that is I felt like I never learned how to fail the right way.

Jennifer [00:12:21]:
Mhmm.

Brittany Collins [00:12:21]:
Because love my father to pieces. Amazing. And but, like, he would always he would want he'd give us, like, an option, but it wasn't really an option. It was kind of a push to this is what you should do. And so it took a lot after leaving college and meeting my husband to learn, like, to make my own decisions in a sense, which seems crazy at, like, 22 years old.

Ashlee [00:12:52]:
I literally cannot relate more to this right now. I'm not I wish everyone could see my head movements because this is so true. And and and, actually, right, like, you're unique and that your husband is also a firefighter, but mine isn't in the first responding world at all. And so for him, it took him a while to understand, like, where I was coming from with things, or or I would still feel like I have to justify it to my dad.

Brittany Collins [00:13:15]:
Yeah. Oh, app.

Ashlee [00:13:16]:
And he would be like yeah. He'd be like, Ashlee, you're you're old now. What are you doing? And I'm like,

Jennifer [00:13:23]:
I

Ashlee [00:13:23]:
don't know. This is hard for me.

Brittany Collins [00:13:26]:
Oh, that makes me feel better. I well, I know.

Jennifer [00:13:30]:
And I

Brittany Collins [00:13:31]:
no. I was just gonna say, I mean, then the hardest thing was if I chose to go against what he suggested and, it it didn't work, then that was kind of a hard thing to swallow. Like, he would never say I told you so. He would never, you know, make it like that that I feel bad about myself. But it would just make me second guess, like, okay, then. I guess if what dad said was gonna happen and it was gonna be, like, the right way to do, then I should probably just do what he said and didn't, like, process. Like, failing is just learning. I almost don't want to use the word fail because it's such a negative connotation.

Brittany Collins [00:14:13]:
Like, if you get an f in class, like, fit you know, like, it just that wasn't the right path or that wasn't the right thing for you or now you learn a different mechanism on how, if it comes up again, to do it the right way or the different way.

Jennifer [00:14:32]:
Well, I so appreciate that too. That concept of, you know, failure is learning. Yeah. And I'm sure it's hard to navigate that too because, I mean, we believe that our parents have our best interest. You know, dad wants me to make the right choice. So if he's guiding that, I think it's, you know, okay. I'm gonna listen to it. But, again, that's building that autonomy in my own experience.

Jennifer [00:14:54]:
That can be a hard place to feel kind of sandwiched in between.

Brittany Collins [00:14:57]:
Right. Yes. Very much.

Ashlee [00:15:01]:
Gosh. Absolutely. No. This is great. This is a great conversation. I don't think that has really come up like this before yet, and and so I I greatly appreciate it because it is so true. And I think it's something that a lot of adult first responder children are gonna be able to relate to and be like, oh goodness. I I might feel that as well.

Ashlee [00:15:19]:
So I love all of this. I know one thing that I had discussed in previous episodes and and that I was open and vulnerable with was this struggle in terms of recognizing at some points that, like so I was police side, but that, like, police weren't necessarily loved or liked and and getting some anxiety from that as a child or, like, recognizing what my dad did and growing a little bit of anxiety of and fear of him being in danger and things like that. So I think my question for you is, did you face any challenges or fears growing up with a firefighter parent?

Brittany Collins [00:15:52]:
So, like, I was trying to think about, like, the first time it really hit me, you know, obviously, like, not coming home. You know, that's, like, the big thing. And I don't remember, like, we didn't really talk about that. My mom definitely didn't talk about that even, you know, with my uncles. I guess, you know, with my uncles. I guess the biggest thing was, like, 911. I feel like that

Jennifer [00:16:08]:
was a a huge hit,

Brittany Collins [00:16:09]:
and I think I was a freshman in high school. So, obviously, I was old enough to know. And even, like, younger, I would have, like, possibly, you know, kind of comprehended that. But that was huge. You know, obviously, just the magnitude of that. Yeah. You know, like but also, he didn't really talk about a lot of stuff, and I feel like he liked to keep stuff at work and stuff at home and keep it separate, which I I am half and half about, especially learning through the ways with my husband. I I mean, I distinctly remember a phone call when I was in college, and I didn't answer it since I was in class.

Brittany Collins [00:16:54]:
But he left a message for me and which not wasn't, like, odd. But normally, like, his key phrase was, like, he would always call or he would text us and be, like, call when free. So we'd always just joke about him or we'd be, like, just call us. Like, we'll call you back or but he left a message and just saying, like, Britney, I love you so much. Just know that I'm always here for you and that nothing will be too much that we can't get through together. And with him, like, saying something like that, you just know that he had a call that, you know, something struck a nerve. And I and it ended up being someone my age that had committed suicide. And so I feel like it hits way more home when it's very, very close to, like, what's going on with your family or the ages of your kids.

Jennifer [00:17:45]:
Yep.

Brittany Collins [00:17:46]:
So that's, you know my husband talks about, like, a little bit of a side note. There's kinda like 2 different sections of his city that he works, and they're very different. So when he works on one side of the city, it just hits differently that when he you know, if you're going to a house that looks like yours, you're going into it's just it it's a little bit different. So knowing that, it just made me realize just some of the magnitude that he, you know, went through. And he had another call that kind of we didn't go to our the city high school that we would have went to. We went to a Catholic school. So we had to drive quite a bit, like, 20 I mean, 20 minutes. Mhmm.

Brittany Collins [00:18:31]:
And that's where he coached. And one day when he left school, there was a car accident, and he was the first one on scene. And it was 2 of the students from our high school. And, unfortunately, they didn't make it. But he would tell you he was glad he was there for them during that time. But, obviously, it was probably, like, the also the hardest thing for him too to have to go through that, you know, especially with seeing the kids in their sweaters. That's what my brother's sister and I wore. You know, my brother and I would drive to school together.

Brittany Collins [00:19:03]:
But there is a lot of people that were very happy that he could have been the first on scene.

Jennifer [00:19:11]:
Right. You know,

Brittany Collins [00:19:12]:
off duty too. So some of that magnitude knowing just that yeah. I guess weighing those types of things. Just knowing the things he would see, and he was quiet about it. So I always just prayed that I don't think he ever talked to anybody about it. I don't think he talked to my mom about it. I don't know if he talked to his coworkers about it. I mean, maybe here and there.

Brittany Collins [00:19:37]:
I just prayed that he didn't suffer, like, in silence. Right. When my husband started his career, it was very much like that. He felt it was too heavy to bring home or he felt that it was his duty to keep his work at work. But as we've grown and, you know, self help and some stuff is too heavy for one person to bear and it eats you up and it affect every other part of your life if whether it's talking to somebody, whether it's physical activity, whether it's, you know, anything. It's so I guess just that.

Jennifer [00:20:15]:
Oh, what a story. You know, that sounds like something so devastating to a community to know that that's a school and the school that you and your family attended, a school your dad coached at. Like, what a devastating experience. And and, Brittany, to hear you share about that, I hear that experience for you, but also hearing, man, the empathy, sympathy for your dad, knowing that that was his experience. And so I just really hear you channel that, like and as you share that story, it's not just about, oh, this bad thing happened. I really hear your love for your dad as you share that story and and recognizing that he was able to say, I was, you know, glad I was the first on scene, but also recognizing what a sacrifice that was for him to be the first on scene. So I appreciate in that very hard story to share. Yeah.

Jennifer [00:21:07]:
Yeah. Definitely.

Brittany Collins [00:21:09]:
I mean, it it got I mean, not the story, obviously. But when I became a 9 one one dispatcher and he so I didn't really know exactly what I wanted to be. When I went to college, I, I guess, keep back stepping. My dad and I would always watch TV together, and he was just as obsessed with CSI as I was. And so and, like, Law and Order. And so those were our times together that we would sit and just watch it. And so forensics was huge and so interesting. And, you know, it kinda came up.

Brittany Collins [00:21:44]:
You know, I loved the sciences. Like, that was my jam. Mhmm. And how everything kinda falls into place like it normally does just was amazing. The coach looked at me for volleyball and he was interested, and then there was ended up being the cops that I went to had a forensic entomologist

Jennifer [00:22:00]:
Oh, wow.

Brittany Collins [00:22:00]:
There that did a lot of classes. And I was like, well, this is awesome studying. My mom still laughed. She's like, you wanna what? Because entomology is like studying bugs on dead bodies. And I was like, that's the coolest thing ever, you know? Like and I guess with that was more or less finding out, like, giving somebody closure, You know? Because a lot of those times, like, I even had, like, dabbled with, like, being a coroner because it was just, like, giving somebody peace or finding out someone, giving somebody an answer to help them, like, cope better. So that was kind of, like, a very cool thing that I thought that I tried to go that way with forensics and but when I didn't really know or didn't realize, like, how hard it is to get into it, and then it was I just became wishy washy about what I wanted to do with my career. And he mentioned, like, well, he knew a lot of dispatchers. He's like, come sit in with 1 of the dispatchers at his center because he was in Arlington Heights and so was the center.

Brittany Collins [00:22:57]:
I was like, sure. And I ended up falling in love with it because every call is something new, and you're helping somebody. Right. Like, no matter what. Like, if it's your house is on fire, if someone's injured, or if your cat's in a tree. You know, there's you got the whole realm of everything to do that. And I guess when that happened, I kind of had a gateway to talk to things with my dad a little bit more about. So things that I went through, I was more open with.

Brittany Collins [00:23:26]:
And so then I think it gave him a little bit more of a, like, okay. Like, not like she's open enough to talk about it, but kind of. And he would love to I mean, I feel like all the time that we lived in a bubble because he just wanted to protect us, like, so much from everything. So he's not gonna tell us something that, I mean, could leave a lasting impression on you. That was, like, a wonderful kind of full circle moment to be able to do that with my dad.

Ashlee [00:23:54]:
Oh my gosh. Absolutely. And, honestly, this is another really big thing we're excited about having you on because dispatchers definitely deserve recognition. Absolutely. Our heroes as well and do a job that is I mean, I I almost have no words. This whole podcast and and working with first responders now has really opened my eyes to dispatch, and it's just an honor to even have you on here and to have a dispatcher on here to be able to talk about some of that too. I feel like that could be a whole another episode as well because I do think we have to tap into that. Like, dispatchers, they don't get to see the end of a lot of things, and they're left with all of the unknowns.

Ashlee [00:24:34]:
And sometimes they think that can be really daunting and haunting to them. And so that's a whole other aspect of this, and I just wanted to give that shout out here as we transition to that quick because that I mean, it is so true. Our dispatchers are also heroes, and we gotta recognize that.

Jennifer [00:24:50]:
I think they can be the forgotten first responders that time. And so I am I'm so appreciative, Britney, of of you being on here and being our first voice of dispatch because

Brittany Collins [00:25:02]:
No. Thank you. Yeah. I mean, yes. It was awesome. I never would have thought, and it's almost like a career you don't really know of or, like, hear of in a sense too. You just kind of, like, fall into it. And I was lucky that I had my dad and then I had 2 uncles too.

Brittany Collins [00:25:17]:
So I there was the chance I could've talked to all 3 of them on the radio. So that was pretty amazing. It was very busy. It was police and fire and then call taking. And then after we had moved out farther away, commute was gonna be too much. But then I found another dispatch center, the Ogle County Sheriff's Office. I mean, worked part time there, which was amazing, which was just like a whole another world because you go from police and fire in 11 towns to a county of having 3 officers and a a lieutenant on. Then you did mainly fire dispatching.

Brittany Collins [00:25:52]:
So it was just different in, like, volunteer departments. So it was it was just a wonderful aspect of that. And then I went into another sector of dispatching, which dealt with some of the hospital medical side, which was very interesting, Rackham, in Rockford, that you would connect doctors between hospitals for specialties to see if you would be transferring patients back and forth if there is beds available for smaller hospitals that didn't have the specialties that higher level ones did. So but still did some of the surrounding towns of Rockford, mainly fire. So it's it was it's interesting. I loved it. I mean, every day was something new. And it felt actually homey, like, coming home to talk to my husband about stuff if I needed to or talking to my dad about stuff.

Brittany Collins [00:26:42]:
Just it's hard professions where if you're not in it or you don't if you haven't done it or lived through someone having it, it's it's just very different to try to connect with someone that might not understand, like, even having a weird sense of humor. Right. It's just not normal, but it's a coping mechanism that just kinda happens.

Jennifer [00:27:06]:
Yeah. I think it's a healthy thing, actually.

Ashlee [00:27:09]:
Absolutely. And I I mean, I think too I'm you hit so I grew up in that area, and I'm like, wow. Those are all extreme Rockford's extremely busy all

Jennifer [00:27:17]:
the time.

Ashlee [00:27:18]:
So I mean, it's just all those things. It does make a huge difference between when you're working in a like like you said, like, Arlington Heights and everything, and then you're like, Ogle County and that's 3 you know, I can't imagine that had to be such an adjustment. But you also did make a really good point at the end here of talking about how if people don't get it, it's really hard. Like, it it things are just different. And I think that's where Jennifer and I really connected because it was that final moment of being like, woah. Somebody else understands this life. You know, the humor, all of that. Everything you said, I'm like, yep.

Ashlee [00:27:54]:
Check. Check. Check. But and and it's crazy because not only in our personal lives is that check, but also and, Jennifer, I don't know if you can agree or disagree with me here. That's okay. But, like, in our clinical role role too, like, now that I'm working mostly with first responders, having that experience and growing up with a first responder helps tenfold, and and first responders being even willing to come and talk and get the help that they need.

Jennifer [00:28:21]:
I agree. I think my I think my clinical experience does not offer what my experience growing up in a first responder home offers a client that comes into me. I think that is what they're more willing to share than the fact that I have a bunch of letters behind my name. I agree with that completely. And it is its own experience. And and that, again, it doesn't mean that people aren't well meaning, but you just don't get it all the time.

Brittany Collins [00:28:52]:
Absolutely. And, I mean, I think I mentioned to Ashlee too. Like, I don't understand how well, I guess, it would be tough. Like, I understood my dad's schedule. So with my husband being a fur like, a firefighter, I understand. I mean, they do the 24:48. So you work for 24 hours straight, 8 AM to 8 AM the next day, and then you're home for 2 days. So I give it out there to all, like, the wives and other family members that have never dealt with that kind of schedule.

Brittany Collins [00:29:20]:
Like even my mom, you know, that's her dad worked at the gas company in Chicago. And so, you know, that's an 8 to 5. Then you come home, you have weekends, you know, you have holidays. But it it would be a very big adjustment and I I guess I just kinda slid right into it like this is my norm. Like this is what I know.

Jennifer [00:29:40]:
You know, Brittany, that is such a great point. I never forget this. I just graduated college and one of my girlfriends from college called me up just in tears. She had just married a police officer, and she's like, I don't know how you and your family did this. Like, you know, I thought I was gonna get married and and build this family, and I never get to see my husband. And and I was just like, what are you talking about? Because it was such a normal experience for me. I didn't know. And it did.

Jennifer [00:30:12]:
I was, again, still in my twenties, gave me some perspective about my mom. Like, oh, wow. Like, there was a lot of times it was just her being kind of a single parent at times just because that's what the schedule is. So I was gonna ask you about that. In terms of that, I kinda I keep asking double questions, but it is what being a kid of a first responder, then, you know, marrying somebody that's a first responder and being one yourself, like, how do you feel like that help with that kind of transition into adult or to the field?

Brittany Collins [00:30:45]:
Yeah. No. I mean, I guess preparedness. I don't know if that's just my, you know, my personality or what. I'm I'm a list maker. I'm a Post it note list making type of person, you know. With, like, the dispatching aspect is, like, multitasking. You know, there's a lot going on.

Brittany Collins [00:31:03]:
You gotta keep your head on a swivel. You kinda have to have knowledge of everything. So that was big, and I feel like that's big as being, like, a mom. I mean, now 4 of my kids are in sports, and 3 of them are in different ones. And so it's just with that aspect, but just work. Also, just I still struggle with this. But, you know, being intentional with, like, everything you do, your time, your connections. It's it's a lot.

Brittany Collins [00:31:34]:
I mean, I again, I definitely struggle with this. But they're at work, then they come home and you have this amazing day, hopefully, as long as they got sleep the night before. So then you're there with them. But then it's always like then the next day you wake up and it's like, oh, well, they're they're leaving again tomorrow. You know? So it's just yeah. And I guess my biggest thing is being strong.

Ashlee [00:31:58]:
Mhmm.

Brittany Collins [00:31:59]:
Because it's been a struggle lately, like I said, with my dad passing. It it's talked a ton. And and then with Dustin being gone, you know, like, everything's on you in a sense. And I know he hates it because he's like, I'm not there helping you. And I'm like, I know. You know? So I have to wait till he gets home, you know, to, like, fall apart in a sense. I got to keep it together. So, yeah, just being strong.

Brittany Collins [00:32:27]:
But I guess alongside with that, my parents were very not I mean, they did show emotion, and they did talk to us. It's not like they didn't. But I don't think they let on as much as I see now that I kind of want to with my kids. Just like being vulnerable or something's upsetting or you fail or something's not going right. It's it's not gonna be perfect. Like, you don't have to leave your house and just have a smile on your face and act like everything's okay if it's not. Like, I've started saying if people ask me, how's it going? Instead of saying good. Saying like, I'm struggling today.

Brittany Collins [00:33:07]:
You know? Or it's, I'm here. And that's as much as I can be. So knowing, I guess, your limits with that, knowing that you have to be strong a lot of the times, but knowing that you can also I don't wanna say weak even though nothing's wrong with weak, but just being vulnerable or being not perfect, I guess, which is another, yeah, big thing.

Jennifer [00:33:33]:
Well, I think to recognize that's incredible strength when we're able to just be so honest. You know, that takes incredible strength to be that honest and and vulnerable. And so I think you are naming strength. It's just we have a bit of a different perspective about that these days. You know, I I grew up in the home of a police officer in in the last century, like, in the late 1900. You know? And so, yes, I think that there's a whole another perspective on how we communicate, how we can talk, how we can share, and it not crumble things. It actually strengthens things. So I think that that's great.

Jennifer [00:34:12]:
I mean, again, it's it's not any knock on our parents by any means. That was expectations. That's their knowledge base. They did the best. It's just like, oh, we get to have a little bit more of this information. And this is how we want to maybe sprinkle it in. And so it's really great. I just applaud it really sounds like you've kind of married those 2 worlds, you know, that experience of growing home and, you know, you be prepared, you be ready, you be strong.

Jennifer [00:34:42]:
And this experience now of being like, you know, it'd be okay to say, this isn't the best day I've ever had. You know? Or there was a hard call or dang it. I didn't get any sleep last night, and so we're gonna have to be flexible on shift. And that's a bummer, but we can manage it. Right.

Ashlee [00:34:58]:
Yeah. Jennifer, did you have a follow-up to that one? I just wanna make sure. Was it a twofold question?

Jennifer [00:35:05]:
No. I think you did such a great job of answering it all, but

Brittany Collins [00:35:08]:
Oh, I guess, also, like, just being, like, dependable. You know, that too. Like, just always being there, sometimes out of fault, putting I feel like I really should be doing this, but I'll definitely go and do that. But just, like, yeah, the dependability that, you know, being that person that, you know, that someone can always count on. And that's how I felt with my mom or my dad. Like, if I made that phone call and I guess funny story about that and correlating with being a firefighter. I my friend and I from college had an interview down in Louisville, actually for the state police. And so we both we drove down there.

Brittany Collins [00:35:44]:
And the next day, it was kind of rushed because the next day we were gonna leave to fly to Colorado to see my sister, because that's where she went out to school. So we're like, okay. Well, we're just gonna drive down there, spend the night, have the interview, and drive all the way home. So it's gonna be a quick trip. Well, when we're leaving the interview, the car overheated and, apparently, I didn't whatever. We didn't the we did not have any oil. And since we didn't have any oil left in the car, the car was completely, like, not gonna work

Jennifer [00:36:16]:
at all. Letting you know you didn't have the oil, Yeah.

Brittany Collins [00:36:20]:
Yeah. Pretty much. And so we had just passed over the state line. So I'm pretty I think that was just, like, Southern Indiana.

Jennifer [00:36:26]:
Yep.

Brittany Collins [00:36:27]:
And we were like, what do we do? And so my dad was getting off shift that morning, and he's like, let me call you back. I'm like, okay. And within an hour, he's like, okay. Well, one of the guys at the station has the trailer and this other guy has this. So we're going to go drop all our cars off, go get the trailer, then the 3 of us are gonna drive down and then put the car on the trailer and then drive home. But then he's like, well, you guys can't just sit there. So then we called another fireman friend who was actually in Indianapolis. He came to pick us up and then drove us to where my friend was staying in, Indiana.

Brittany Collins [00:37:09]:
So we stayed there. So we were off the side of the road until my dad drove all the way down, got the car, then picked me up on the way back. My mom was I was talking to my mom on the phone while she was packing my suitcase for me. Like, we pull in at I don't even know what time. And then literally my mom and dad get back in the car and we go to O'Hare. Like, it was

Ashlee [00:37:30]:
Oh my gosh.

Brittany Collins [00:37:31]:
Insane, like, how that even happened. But it's just they dropped everything for me and my dad and my dad. Like, it's just it was just an amazing, but also figured

Jennifer [00:37:44]:
it out. They figured it out.

Brittany Collins [00:37:46]:
You just you figure it out. Exactly.

Ashlee [00:37:48]:
I'm also blown away by, like, how calm it sounds like everybody was.

Brittany Collins [00:37:52]:
You know, I mean, there was probably some choice words, you know, like, behind the scenes, especially about you probably I think I told you to maybe check the oil level before you left us, Britney. You know, something like that. But, again, then it was just like, okay. Well, you're safe, and we're together. And it's just a car, so we'll figure it out. And we made it to my sister's volleyball game. So

Jennifer [00:38:17]:
goodness. All major flight. That's the most impressive part.

Brittany Collins [00:38:22]:
Right.

Ashlee [00:38:24]:
Well, we love funny stories on this like, we love that. We are all about that on this podcast. Do you have any from childhood, like, going to the firehouse or anything like that that you remember?

Brittany Collins [00:38:35]:
I I just loved going to the firehouse. Like, the guys were super sweet. They'd always rat, rasp my dad about he could fall asleep anywhere, but mainly, like, in the recliners. But he, I guess, could take up, like, 3 recliners at the same time. I'm not really sure, like, how that happens, but that was the big joke, like, with him. He just had one buddy that was hilarious, and, like, he would try to scare my dad in this gorilla suit all the time. So, like, it was nothing, like, particular for me, but I'd always, like, ask my dad, like, so what did Reggie do to you today? Like, what day like, I gotta hear because they they spoof each other all the time. And some of them, he's like, I I I can't tell you what happened today.

Brittany Collins [00:39:24]:
But and just the guys, like, even going with my kids to see Destin at work is the guys are like, oh, you want some pop? You want some ice cream? You want some candy? Let's sugar them up to send them home with mom. And I was like, we don't really have to do that. I mean so I just they had a huge it was fun, in Arlington Heights, the 4th July. Their parade is awesome, and they'd have huge water fights. So I remember when we would ride in the parade with my dad, there is this one house on the route that would have, like, super soakers and their hoses and, like, everything. And they would just, like, drench the fire truck. And it then ended up I think they have it into, like, an actual, like they stop and have, like, a battle now during the parade with the firemen actually being prepared and things like that. So those are just yeah, those are just the fun the fun memories are one time we took a lap around the block in the truck, and it was just cool.

Brittany Collins [00:40:25]:
It was just a fun experience. Just or even, like, the police are, like, doing a ride along. It's just it's interesting. I don't know. I love that stuff. I'm just Yep. I know with everything that has happened, it's just I still have said I'm just very proud of the police environment. Like, it's just, they do an amazing job on a lot of things that kinda goes against them a lot of the time.

Jennifer [00:40:49]:
Well and it sounds so great that the firehouse was your second home. And it sounds like that for your kids as well. You know, let's go. This is this is a part of us too because our dad's here so much of his time.

Brittany Collins [00:41:01]:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's just felt like just anytime we see a fire truck, the kids are like, is that dad's fire truck? Is that dad's fire truck? I'm like, oh, sure. Yeah. They're all yeah. All the fire truck.

Ashlee [00:41:13]:
I love that. Jennifer, did you have any other questions?

Jennifer [00:41:18]:
I know we have to be mindful of time because, honestly, Britney, I could talk to you for another I know. App because I think you've just provided so much and and beautiful stories, such incredible experiences. I am so honored to get to hear about your dad. Sounds like an incredible man, and I'm just I know your family's gonna keep him on in memories because he's so special. Yeah.

Brittany Collins [00:41:40]:
Absolutely. You.

Ashlee [00:41:41]:
I feel like we're like, I'm like, oh my gosh. We were lost somewhere. We needed to find each other because there's so many things that you are saying today that have hit home for me and and just thinking about it. And I have my own brain already is, like, wrapping around everything that we correlate on. And then also I love hearing a little bit of differences too. Like, I did not grow up on the fireside, and so it's very cool to hear kind of some of those differences as well. And and I think that we would probably both love to have you back on, maybe even to focus on dispatch a little bit. Like I said, we gotta push that way.

Ashlee [00:42:15]:
So dispatch and everything. I mean, like, there's so much that Oh, I have so much. I know.

Jennifer [00:42:22]:
But I

Ashlee [00:42:22]:
feel like we could keep pushing on because I'm like, that you just cover all the bases, and I I want to thank you and thank you for being a hero as well because you truly are, as a parent, as a spouse, as a first responder, we cannot thank you enough. So thank you for coming on today.

Brittany Collins [00:42:39]:
Well, thanks. I I really appreciate that very much.

Jennifer [00:42:43]:
Wow. Britney was awesome. We are so thankful that she was on the show and just talking about her own experiences, growing up in a home of first responder, being a first responder herself, and a spouse of a first responder. So we're just so thankful for Britney for her time and incredible stories.

Ashlee [00:43:01]:
Absolutely. And the fact that she found us and is a big fan

Jennifer [00:43:04]:
I know.

Ashlee [00:43:04]:
And, you know, and connected with us on that level, really is just so humbling and the reason why we're doing everything. So, again, we wanna thank you guys all for listening, and don't forget that when the call hits home, Jennifer and I are here for you. Thank you.

Jennifer [00:43:19]:
Thank you.