”
9-1-1 emergency, what are you reporting?
”
These or similar words are the standard question asked when
9-1-1 is dialed here in Gilroy or anywhere else. In last week’s
column I wrote about some of the frustrations that a 9-1-1
dispatcher (communications operator) must endure. This column
continues from last week.
“9-1-1 emergency, what are you reporting?” These or similar words are the standard question asked when 9-1-1 is dialed here in Gilroy or anywhere else. In last week’s column I wrote about some of the frustrations that a 9-1-1 dispatcher (communications operator) must endure. This column continues from last week.
Writing on this subject is the result of an article in The Dispatch dated Aug. 28 that talks about the investigation of a potentially fatal emergency response mistake, focusing on a longtime Gilroy Police Department dispatcher who as the article says, may have neglected to transfer a call for help to the California Highway Patrol and rescue personnel for an incident that took place in Gilroy on Aug. 26.
The article includes the following statement made by Gilroy’s Assistant Chief of Police Lanny Brown: “… for this one dispatcher, I know he’s not feeling real good over this. They take ownership of their calls. Even when they do everything right and a victim doesn’t pull through, it can be tough on them and they can question everything they did.” Well said by Chief Brown.
Stress is a known factor to produce job burnout. And stress is a common thread in the job of a 9-1-1 dispatcher. The selection process to hire a dispatcher is very strict and a candidate must pass an extensive background check as well as testing drug-free, plus passing a battery of psychological and oral tests. It can take months to go through this process. And most applicants don’t even make the first cut.
For those who pass and get hired by an agency, more than 50 percent of new trainees don’t make it in their first six months, because not only is there so much to learn, but there’s just too much stress to handle.
This stress is often the by-product of the “multi-tasking” functions necessary to perform in the job. On the other side of the coin, boredom is another factor that can come into play especially during the midnight to 5 a.m. hours, even for veteran dispatchers.
It’s a vigil of staying awake and alert when no calls are coming in and fighting off sleep.
There’s always someone in the center working to make sure that proper attention is given to those people who need it. It’s called “an emergency” and when people have an actual emergency, usually time is not on their side.
But interestingly enough, many dispatchers can become even more frustrated with the public’s general ignorance when making calls to 9-1-1 that are non-emergency calls. In fact, people many times are downright lacking in common sense, so says my daughter who is a veteran communications operator of 12 years in Ventura, California.
Asking her why people call 9-1-1 for non-emergencies, she says that people are typically lazy and just don’t care. Many people call and expect the police department to fix their problem in a single call even if the problem may have taken months or even years to develop.
For the purpose of education, here are the top six non-emergency situations that people call into 9-1-1, when they should be dialing the non-emergency police phone number:
1) Statements like “This is not an emergency but …” or “I have a question …”
2) Noise complaints (barking dogs, loud music, loud parties, construction noise, or fireworks)
3) Late reported property crimes (hours or days after the fact)
4) Civil Issues such as child custody disputes, landlord-tenant disputes, disputes over money owed (unless violence is occurring or has occurred.)
5) Juvenile problems (skateboarding, loitering, trespassing.)
6) Parenting issues (like “my child is out of control”, or “my child is not listening to me.”)
Remember too that every time someone dials 9-1-1 and hangs up, the dispatcher must call that number back and establish why 9-1-1 was dialed and why there was a hang-up. And for many of these types of callbacks, the dispatcher also has to try and get through phone numbers that are caller blocked, spending more valuable time to determine if a real emergency exists.
My purpose in writing about the emergency dispatcher’s job is threefold.
First, I hope you’ve not been too quick to judge the Gilroy dispatcher mentioned in The Dispatch articles of Aug. 28 and Oct. 7. There is much more to the job of dispatcher than meets the public eye. Second, please be aware of what situations do not constitute an emergency call to 9-1-1. And finally, program in your home/cell phones Gilroy PD’s non-emergency number, 408-846-0350. Use it as appropriate.
Finally, a hearty “thank you” to our Gilroy emergency dispatchers, who perform this important job function.
James Fennell was in corporate management for over 25 years, and now is a local realtor. He and his wife have lived in Gilroy for three years. He can be reached at je*******@*****ch.com. His column is published each Tuesday.
