Dear Lord, help me keep safe those who depend on me.

Give me healthy ears, for they are my link with those who need me.

 Keep my mind sharp and alert, my fingers quick and nimble.

Grant that I never forget how to do ten things at once, and do them all equally well.

 Bless me with patience Lord.

Patience to deal with the public, with the officers, with the firefighters,

and with everyone else who makes me want to grit my teeth and yell.

Give me nerves of steel;

That I may listen to a mother screaming for her child to live,

the man with a gun, the family watching their home go up in flames, or a request for backup or more equipment and not give way to panic.

 Grant me empathy, that I may help the caller in need,

and not cause them more pain than they already have.

God, give me the ability to learn what I need, to remember it quickly,

and give me the wisdom to use the knowledge properly.

 Bless my family Lord, for they will have to make sacrifices to shift work,

overtime, canceled plans and times when I just can't take on one more thing.

Help them understand the missed ball games, school programs and dinners for two.

Lord, give me courage. Courage to persevere when I feel undervalued,

unappreciated, overworked and unrecognized.

Courage to keep trying when I feel in my heart it's hopeless.

 Last of all Lord, help me to never forget why I chose this job in the first place,

to never lose sight of what is important in the midst of the stress.

Help me to remember that I make a difference;

however small it may seem some days, and that I matter.