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HEC director David Cutler, left, Robert Taylor, Helen Woods, and Cheryl Murrell serve up barbecue, 'slaw and a side of appreciation to emergency center employees.

Story and photo by Joe Laud

More than 300 pounds of brisket, 40 pounds of sausage, a cornucopia of potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni, dirty rice, beans, cakes, and fruit salad – and supervisors in grass skirts. It’s Labor Day at the Houston Emergency Center.

For the second year, emergency center employees celebrated the holiday with a barbecue luau provided by the department’s managers and supervisors.

“We handle a lot of emergency calls from citizens who need our help,” Director David Cutler said. “Those types of calls are not only stressful for the callers but for our personnel who are handling those calls. This luau is a chance for all of us to get together and show our appreciation for their hard work.”

Managers and supervisors wore their finest Hawaiian shirts and leis while serving the food.

During their breaks, or before or after their shifts, employees visited the dining area, which was decorated with palm trees, tropical birds, and mermaids. Food was prepared for all shifts so that everyone could participate.

All personnel assigned to the center were invited to the party, including those from Police, Fire, Building Services, the Office of Emergency Management, Northrop Grumman, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Greater Harris County 911 Emergency Network and the Criminal Intelligence Division.

“It’s nice to interact with other personnel outside of my department and it was a treat to see supervisors and managers serving food,” said Estella Branford, an 11-year HPD dispatcher. “Everyone worked together like one big family to have a great time. This shows that David Cutler cares about employees and employees’ morale.”

Seuwana Allen, a 25-year fire telecommunications supervisor, prepared some of the food. From her co-workers’ responses, she knows they enjoyed it.

“It was a great time to sit and enjoy each other’s company,” Allen said. “Good food shared with good friends always leaves a memorable moment. These kinds of activities make me look forward to work.”

Becoming more familiar with each other is a side benefit, Cutler said.

“All too often the efforts of labor are overlooked in the day-to-day operation of a business,” he said. “Managers, caught up in the exercise of ‘managing,’ tend to forget about the effort put in to make their business a success by the people actually doing the work. The Labor Day barbecue is one day of the year to focus exclusively on the front-line employees.”

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