Locked In with Ian Bick
Locked In with Ian Bick

I Was a 911 Dispatcher for 13 Years — These Are the Calls I Can Never Forget | Ricardo Martinez

October 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

For 13 years, Ricardo Martinez III was the voice on the other end of 911 in Michigan, answering calls from people on the worst day of their lives. Some calls never left him—and he learned that the hard way. After a decade of burying traumatic calls, he eventually realized that the dispatcher's instinct to stay calm and move on to the next call comes with a hidden cost. Today, he runs an organization and a session called Imagine Listening to help other dispatchers share their stories.

The Three Rules of Dispatching

Martinez got his start in 2001 in Frostproof, Florida—a small town where the police department had about 12 sworn officers. On his first night, his trainer, Harry, gave him exactly three pieces of guidance: have common sense, have thick skin, and—most importantly—be human. That was the extent of his formal preparation. After just 25 to 30 minutes of observation, he was told to take the next call himself. His first actual 911 call was a butt-dial, and he was grateful for it. But his first real emergency came almost immediately: a woman ran into the station screaming that she had found her husband, who had hanged himself. Martinez sat with her in the lobby, called her family, and then read the suicide note the officer handed him. It said the man loved his wife and children and could not live without them. Martinez's thought at the time: "If you could have waited

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **Introduction & Podcast Ads** - Host Ian Bick introduces the episode with sponsor messages for Wayfair, YouTube Premium, and DeGiorno.
  • 2 (01:27) **The Call That Started It All** - Ricardo introduces the story of a baby who rolled off a bed onto a basket of towels.
  • 3 (01:51) **Guest Introduction: Ricardo Martinez** - Ian Bick introduces Ricardo, a former 911 dispatcher of 13 years, and sets up the episode's premise.
  • 4 (02:12) **Growing Up in Small-Town Michigan** - Ricardo describes his childhood in Fenville, Michigan, and his early fascination with storytelling and music.
  • 5 (04:11) **Family Influence & A Camaro** - Ricardo discusses his parents' careers and a memorable teenage experience driving a distinctive car.
  • 6 (12:23) **Rock Bottom & The Road Trip** - Ricardo recounts the low point in his life in 2001 and the spontaneous decision to leave Michigan.
  • 7 (16:38) **A New Start in Frostproof, Florida** - Ricardo describes arriving in Frostproof, Florida, and the unexpected path to becoming a dispatcher.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Ricardo Martinez II spent 13 years as a 911 dispatcher in Michigan — answering thousands of calls from people experiencing the worst moments of their lives. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Ricardo shares the heartbreaking, bizarre, funny, and unforgettable calls that stayed with him, what it takes to remain calm during life-or-death emergencies, the mental toll of the job, and why he ultimately decided to walk away after 13 years behind the phones. 

_____________________________________________

Thank you to CASH APP for sponsoring this episode:

Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/6pao71et #cashapppod Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.

_____________________________________________

Tired of ads interrupting the podcast? Become a Locked In member and listen completely ad-free — plus get bonus episodes, exclusive content & a FREE welcome box. Join now:

https://lockedin.supportingcast.fm/

_____________________________________________

Connect with Ricardo Martinez:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardomartinezii

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmarti23/

Website: https://www.withinthetrenches.net/ricardom

_____________________________________________

Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:

https://ianbick.com/

_____________________________________________

Timestamps:

00:00 The Call That Never Left Him
00:44 Growing Up in Small-Town Michigan
04:21 Inspired by Rescue 911
05:39 Pulled Over on the Way to Senior Pictures
10:57 Hitting Rock Bottom
12:55 A Sign from the Radio
15:11 Moving to Frostproof, Florida
17:12 The 911 Dispatcher Interview
20:46 Sponsor: Cash App Security Lock
22:34 Starting the Job That Same Night
25:51 Harry's Three Rules
29:00 First Big Call: The Hanging
35:53 Visualizing Calls with Dispatch Ear
39:15 The Call That Went South
45:37 The Infant CPR Call
51:31 Reaching Out to Families
52:52 The Girl on Thin Ice
57:30 Taking His Own Grandmother's Call
01:07:34 The Acid

Locked In with Ian Bick

More from this podcast

Locked In with Ian Bick →