HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — For a lot of people, waking up on Christmas morning means opening presents, cooking a big breakfast, and sitting by the fire.
For others, like the Houston County 911 dispatchers, it means waking up, getting dressed, and driving to work.
"Every day it's different calls. Every day it's something new," Landra Betancourt said.
Betancourt has worked three Christmases during the four years she has worked at the Houston County Emergency Communications Center.
"This is a second family to me. It's always fun because we're always festive when it comes to holidays. We dress up. We get to have fun," she said.
She said she and her two kids will celebrate the day after.
"They're excited. They understand, they know what my job entails," Betancourt said.
Jason Compton has worked 12 of his 14 Christmas holidays on the job.
"It's not bad. Sometimes you get some very interesting calls," Sgt. Compton said.
One of the weirdest calls he's taken?
"How long you should cook a turkey," he said, laughing.
Betancourt said they get a lot of calls about burglaries along with people calling about suspicious individuals dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas.
"You don't know what you're walking into and so it is kind of exciting in a way," she said.
Compton said they're just doing what they love.
"We enjoy helping people. You gotta love to help people. It’s a rewarding job. Sometimes it can be a depressing job, but most of the time it’s a rewarding job," Compton said.
They aren't the only ones working this Christmas.
According to Compton, the Perry police Department has five officers on duty, Centerville has three, and Warner Robins has nine.
Some are acting as security at different Walmarts in the area.
"You become so close to your officers, with your firefighters, because you work so close in hand and you want to make sure when you leave in the afternoon, they’re leaving to go home as well," Betancourt said.
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