If you have ever worked at a 9-1-1 dispatch center, your
9-1-1 calls may have had a distinct ring. Most calls are routine or misdials or
information requests. Yet any call could be a crisis, whether from citizens or
from emergency personnel. Dispatchers daily deal with frustrating or dangerous circumstances—so
they learn ways of coping on-the-job. But they are prepared for the worst, for they
all have answered a call and heard only screaming on the other end of the line…
Rigorous training prepares dispatchers to engage emergencies
effectively—lest emotions slow or undermine the response of authorities. When the
9-1-1 ring sounds, a dispatcher may answer and say, “9-1-1, what is the address
of the emergency?” (Tip: location is the most critical information you can
give, so call-takers can get some help en route, even before they know the
problem.)
Given all this, you can imagine the combination of humor and
irritation dispatchers feel when an “emergency” caller declares, “My neighbor’s
dog is barking!” A pithy reply might be, “This is a 9-1-1 line, Sir/Ma’am; please
call back on the regular police phone.”
Natural gas explosions, suicides, broken legs, car crashes, heart
attacks, bar fights, drunk drivers, fires, domestic violence, rape…and also false
alarms, parking violations, officer requests, rabbits on main street, welfare
checks, and yes, barking dogs are all part of a dispatcher’s daily service.
God bless you, dispatchers!
~~~~~~~~
Part of this was originally published by The Presidential
Prayer Team (www.presidentialprayerteam.com).
Reprinted here with permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment