Feb 25, 2019
911 emergency dispatchers often are the first people contacted when emergency assistance is needed. They’re responsible for determining the nature of the calls they receive, as well as the location of the callers. They also are responsible for monitoring the location of emergency service personnel in their assigned territory. Using this information, 911 emergency dispatchers direct the appropriate type and number of emergency service units to emergency scenes. 911 emergency dispatchers must maintain communication with the dispatched units to monitor their response, in addition to maintaining communication with callers to monitor emergency situations and give first-aid instructions if necessary.
Dispatcher Stress
A May 2012 study, conducted by researchers at Northern Illinois University (NIU), linking on-the-job training exposure to trauma, placed dispatchers at risk for developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The study was published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
“We found that dispatchers report significant emotional distress related to handling duty-related calls, and this type of distress is associated with increased risk for developing PTSD or PTSD symptoms,” said NIU Psychology Professor Michelle Lilly, one of the authors of the study.
Iam911
The #IAM911 movement is an effort to assist in the reclassification of public safety telecommunicators from “clerical” to “protective.” But its much more than that. It’s a movement that brings light to the job of 911 call takers and dispatchers who were previously all but forgotten about.
911 centers are the first line of communication with and for emergency service workers and their fields. If not for the central hub of communications and good direction from a dispatch ‘traffic cop’, the rest of us could not do our jobs as efficiently if at all in some cases.