On April 14th a Denver woman called 911 and reported that her husband had been using marijuana, was suffering from hallucinations, and asking her to shoot him. The woman was concerned about not only her husband’s safety, and hers, but …
When people talk about “first responders” they are usually referring to police, firefighters, and paramedics. But so often the first people to respond to an emergency are actually the 911 dispatchers themselves. With the ubiquitous coverage of 911 emergency services …
It is often the case in popular movies and television shows that a person in trouble calls 911, and simply leaves the phone off the hook in order to furtively give the 911 dispatcher information about their location. These scenes …
911 dispatchers have the enormous responsibility of making sure that distress calls receive the most efficient and accurate responses possible. They are well aware that often times lives hang in the balance, and that any mistakes or errors in judgment …
Often times when people call 911, they are in the midst of an immediate crisis. Perhaps an intruder has broken into their home or they have just witnessed a terrible car wreck. People are generally eager to help others who …
Emergency dispatching is an exciting career that has grown significantly in the past, few years, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that this profession will grow 12 percent between 2010 and 2020. If you are considering embarking on a …
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), commonly linked to soldiers in battle or emergency response personnel who experience profound trauma or who witness carnage and death, affects 911 dispatchers, too. Exposing the Vulnerability of Emergency Dispatchers to PTSD Although 911 dispatchers do …
Turnover among 911 dispatchers is notoriously high. And, although there may be a number of reasons for this, one of the most common reasons for leaving a 911 dispatcher job is fatigue; or, perhaps more accurately, burnout. But if 911 …
The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, under the general supervision of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published its recommendations for improving the nations’ Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) call centers. These include: All PSAPs should have comprehensive plans …