Day in the Life of...

   Dixie Fullerton,

Environmental Health Specialist  

Dixie Fullerton, Environmental Health Specialist is no stranger to longevity and dedication to the Health Department. For over 21 years, she has played a pivotal role in the Environmental Health Service Section.

Before Fullerton landed at the Health Department, her professional career consisted of working for a marketing research company and owning a craft shop and a small motel in Charles City. In 1991, the Health Department expanded their food establishment inspections to 14 counties and a job opportunity arose for Fullerton. "I was a rookie in the field of food establishment inspections," Fullerton said. "I didn't have on-the-job training nor internship experience."

Throughout her time at the Health Department, Fullerton has become well rounded in the field of Environmental Health to include everything from inspecting nuisances, tattoo facilities, swimming pools, tanning salons, public and private wells and septic systems. Yet, her true passion is inspecting food establishments. Fullerton is responsible for inspecting food establishments throughout our county. "I provide another set of eyes for food establishments," she stated. "It is my job to education owners and managers and provide advice and guidance on proper food safety." She inspects food establishments between two to three times a year based on their risk level. "Each food establishment is different based on their risk level," Fullerton notes. "A risk level is based on the amount of food preparation, number of hours the food establishment is open and size of the menu." For example, a convenience store is considered a low risk because there is not a lot of food prepared and a buffet restaurant is considered a high risk because a large amount of food is prepared at the establishment. Fullerton is also responsible for establishing and instructing the ServSafe Certification Class for the Health Department. The class was created by the National Restaurant Association with the purpose of educating restaurant owners, supervisors, managers and employees about the dangers of food-borne illnesses and how to avoid them. She also helps with the establishment of new restaurants by reviewing floor plans and pre-inspections.

In 2007, Fullerton's career in the food inspections realm took her to England. She received the National Environmental Health Association Sabbatical Exchange Ambassador Award. During the sabbatical exchange, Fullerton focused on food safety, nuisances and education programs. She was able to glean and develop new food safety practices and tips from food safety experts around the world. She was the first Iowan chosen to participate in the exchange.

Through her dedication and work ethic to the field of food safety, she received her the Galen Award in 2010. The qualifications for the award state that a potential recipient must be an Iowa Environmental Health Association member in good standing, must work in the field of food inspections, and demonstrate belief in importance of inspections. The recipient must use practical and common sense in the inspection process, must display a professional and courteous manner while conducting an inspection and have at least three years of experience in the field. A big contribution to receiving this award was instructing the ServSafe classes. Fullerton is also certified as a food safety professional.

Fullerton's position has provided her with many opportunities. One of them involved assisting with the development of a food safety manual distributed to retail food operations. The manual was created so that anyone in the food safety business can use it, from the retail operators to the general public. "I am incredibly proud of our manual and the hard work and dedication that went into creating such an extensive document," she notes. Another benefit of her position is being able to keep the public safe. However, one of the challenges is getting food establishment owners and managers to understand that she is not the enemy. She is there to help educate food establishment staff to provide food safety for their customers. Environmental Health offers several opportunities. "We function so well as a team," Fullerton stated. "The staff is always willing to step up to the plate and help someone out. It's just an awesome bunch of people to work with."

Yet, Fullerton says her most rewarding experience was during the floods of 1993 when she was able to provide assistance to residents in Des Moines. "The Core of Engineers asked us to come and test the portable water units to make sure the residents had safe drinking water," Fullerton said. "I was very honored to provide them assistance during their time of need."

Fullerton has helped to develop and expand the programs and services offered at the Health Department and will continue to play that pivotal role which enhances our success and client satisfaction!