While other families are opening gifts, drinking eggnog and spending holiday time with families, Teri Anslow is often answering 911 calls.

In her 23-year career at the Victoria RCMP Operational Communications Centre in Langford, Anslow has worked about 10 Christmases. She worked the holiday last year, but this year she will be spending it with family.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 hard to come in and work on Christmas,B次元官网网址� said the mother of three adult daughters. B次元官网网址淵ou just want to be with family and when the kids were younger they didnB次元官网网址檛 understand.B次元官网网址�

Anslow remembers waking her daughters early to open gifts before heading to work. When she worked through the night on Christmas Eve she would come home and stay awake for the family celebrations.

ItB次元官网网址檚 easier now that her children are grown, but she knows itB次元官网网址檚 important to help people this time of year.

B次元官网网址淲e get a lot of suicidal, depressed people. It isnB次元官网网址檛 a good time of year in their lives,B次元官网网址� she said.

Being able to be there for people going through a tough time is rewarding, but there are other calls that sometimes frustrate Anslow.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 upsetting to get calls from people who are fighting with their families. They canB次元官网网址檛 grasp peace on Earth and good will,B次元官网网址� Anslow said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檇 like to be at home with our families. If I was at home I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be fighting with my family.B次元官网网址�

Last year on Christmas Eve Anslow received a call from an elderly couple whoB次元官网网址檚 basement was flooding and they had no idea who to call. Anslow phoned around and found a restoration company to go to the home. She also notified some RCMP officers who went, rolled up their pants and started clearing water with buckets. Anslow and the officers helped the couple even though it wasnB次元官网网址檛 in their job description.

B次元官网网址淭hese members work like dogs. ItB次元官网网址檚 easy to say itB次元官网网址檚 not our problem, but we donB次元官网网址檛 do that,B次元官网网址� she said proudly.

B次元官网网址淲e are here for a reason and we are here to help.B次元官网网址�

One of AnslowB次元官网网址檚 favourite stories didnB次元官网网址檛 happen on Christmas, but it was in the spirit of giving.

She answered a call from two teens who didnB次元官网网址檛 have enough gas get home to Mill Bay. They called asking where they could park their car for the night to sleep.

B次元官网网址淭hey said it was too cold at the beach and wanted to know if they could sleep in the car in the Wal-Mart parking lot,B次元官网网址� Anslow said. B次元官网网址淚 told them to come to the detachment.B次元官网网址�

When the teens arrived, she handed them $10. The teens promised to come back another day and repay the money.

B次元官网网址淚 told them that their parents would worry about them. I told them to pay it forward and the next time they heard someone say something bad about the police to tell them this story,B次元官网网址� Anslow said. She also told them to buy a homeless person a meal as repayment.

Working on Christmas gives Anslow more appreciation for her family time during the holidays. Anslow and her co-workers decorate the dispatch centre and staff working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have a potluck.