Any 9-11 Dispatchers In The House?

[BinaryMode]

As a 27 year scanner listening hobbyist, I've grown to appreciate the hard work you do and what seems like a MASSIVE amount of multitasking and setting aside one's emotions, at least for only a brief moment. I gotta ask, how do you do it? You are quite literally exposed to the good, the bad and the ugly and maybe even the funny. Many years ago I was a fire fighter explorer and thought perhaps one day I'd like to try my hand at being a fire fighter. So, I read lots of books at the library on fire fighting (still remember the indirect method of attack ) and learned from one book that the everyday demands of the job may require a visit with a physiologist. Knowing that I can only imagine that would be true for a 9-11 dispatcher as well. Is my assumption correct? I can't even imagine. I used to hear this now retired dispatcher on my scanner for years and years and the things he must have dealt with would be off the chart. And on that topic it's strange in a way because I've heard these dispatchers for many years and I've never once met any of them. They may not even know I'm listening or have been listening for as long as I have.

I never did become a fire fighter and in hindsight I guess I'm kinda glad I didn't since perhaps that kind of work may not have been suited for me as a walking emotional sponge so to speak. But darn if I don't have that wanting to help someone in me. I mean, if there was a car accident or a house fire or something I have this thing in me to want to run in and save everything right down to the pet hamster. It's like an inner urge, and the threat of danger in my mind is no where to be found. I guess that could be very dangerous now couldn't?

At any rate, a big shout out to doing what you do every single waking day. I guess it's analogous to an ER nurse or doctor or fire fighter or police officer. I think it may be true that we (the public) often clap for public servants and the military but the dispatcher is kinda on the sidelines.

 

[GlobalNorth]

I saw a lot of young ladies try their hands at it. Those that stayed in tended to extreme behaviors over the years. Overeating, personality disorders such as crying unprompted, verbal aggressions, mood swings, hypersexualization, etc. These may have been latent or acquired, but since they weren't required to undergo a psychological exam prior to hire at that time - it's impossible to say.

We did have a comms supervisor go off the deep end while on duty. It wasn't pleasant and her husband [a patrol supervisor] came in early to get her. A bunch of family issues came out and she refused to undergo a professional evaluation. They ended up terminating her and she also ended up with a divorce.

 

[BinaryMode]

I hate to say it, but as someone who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia I can totally understand! I have been to the mental health hospital on two occasions. The first stay was three days, then I was released. Second stay was a massive 7 days. I say massive because you feel like it's a bloody year! I also feel like I have PTSD, but that's another story. I'm certainly a lot better than I was. I do remember a few younger women at the mental health hospital that had some kind of depression or what ever. One could not stop crying. Then she would laugh, then cry. I felt really bad for her, and at the same time it was affecting me while being there. Really sucked! Another young lady in her 20s was being bullied like no one's business in college. So she wound up where I was. I still think about her from time to time and wonder if she ever got better.

I must have been really lucky to get a bed because I read about and saw a video that here in Colorado our mental health system is in shambles. And yet they want MORE money! Unreal. Heck, the price of a state lotto ticket went up to $2 and for another $1 you "could" win 250k. Big deal! After taxes that's 125K, you're now in a higher tax bracket, and you're not going to win it with a $3 bet. It's like the carrot before the horse, you know? I mean the odds... So yeah, this state taxes and spends and our mental health care is a massive joke.

 

[mmckenna]

Big deal! After taxes that's 125K, you're now in a higher tax bracket, and you're not going to win it with a $3 bet. It's like the carrot before the horse, you know? I mean the odds...

Lottery, gambling for people that are really bad a math.

Not a dispatcher, but I do cross paths with them.

With all due respect, they are weird.
It's not a job for everyone. Heck, it's not a job for 99% of the population. It takes a lot of very specific skills, mindset, attitude and guts.

You are correct, exposed to the worst of the worst, they take the brunt of the anger from the public. They often don't get any closure after the call, just on to the next one like nothing happened.
Horrible pay, awful working hours, constantly monitored, watched, critiqued.

There have been changes over the last few years, some centered around mental well being. After particularly nasty events, they'll rotate dispatchers out for a bit, try to bring in some help from outside. There's teams with support dogs that will visit the dispatch centers to try and take some stress off.

No way I'd do that job, I know I couldn't handle it. And in many cases, the pay is truly awful.

 

[BinaryMode]

Thanks for the insight.

Yeah, according to govsalaries.com I see the following for one dispatcher I read about in the paper (I don't know the names of the others):

_____ in 2021 was employed at _____ Police Department and had an annual salary of $78,200 according to public records. This salary was 13 percent lower than the average and 18 percent lower than the median salary in _____ Police Department.

Now for a police officer I've bumped into a few times.

_____ in 2021 was employed at ____ Police Department and had an annual salary of $95,778 according to public records. This salary was 7 percent higher than the average and 0 percent lower than the median salary in ____ Police Department.

And at the top of the page with all the employee's salaries for this police department it says the following:

Highest salary at ____ Police Department in year 2021 was $196,096. Number of employees at ____ Police Department in year 2021 was 113. Average annual salary was $89,632 and median salary was $95,779. ____ Police Department average salary is 91 percent higher than USA average and median salary is 120 percent higher than USA median salary.

So the USA median salary is $43,536. And the USA average is $46,928. To those that don't know averages, median is the number in between. As opposed to mean average which is like flatting all the numbers...

Lottery, gambling for people that are really bad a math.

LOL It really is. I've been doing a lot of statistical analysis of all the numbers for our state lotto and I can conclude that there really is no "pattern" so to speak that one can safely bet on. It truly is random. I have found some interesting data with a certain disturbed probability, but nothing that really sets it apart from the rest. However, having said that someone does end up winning. There are 45 states with lotteries and at least, I'm sure, one winner a week in at least one of the 45 states to the tune of maybe around 3 million. That's just the state lottery.

But yeah, if the math worked out then MIT students or graduates or even their professor's would game the system. You can in a way though... If you're willing to find someone at a mom and pop convenience store that can print about $50,000 worth of tickets... It's been done and the family won I do believe.

Anyway, I digress, I mentioned the following in my OP:

At any rate, a big shout out to doing what you do every single waking day. I guess it's analogous to an ER nurse or doctor or fire fighter or police officer. I think it may be true that we (the public) often clap for public servants and the military but the dispatcher is kinda on the sidelines.

I forgot EMTs. Truly maddening what they must see and deal with on an everyday occurrence as well. Especially a life flight EMT where the stakes are even higher! There was this show on one of the A&E Network channels (could have been Discovery) that followed these guys in their helicopters around the UK. Was pretty interesting. Makes sense Med choppers would be a big thing there I guess because from what I can see on a map of the UK and using Google Street View, it's mostly rural...

 

[mmckenna]

Thanks for the insight.

The other thing I can add from talking to our dispatch center manager:

Somewhere above 80% of the applicants for new dispatcher positions cannot pass the entry tests. A lot of them cannot pass the required background checks to even get a chance to try. It's very difficult for them to hire new/green dispatchers.

There was someone here a few months ago that was convinced that dispatchers were all "DEI hires" since they were mostly women. I think there's some feeling, especially amongst those interested in the two way radio listening hobby, that a dispatcher just talks on the phone/radio and that's it. "How hard could it be".

Background check is difficult. I was run through it because I often work in the dispatch center and them keeping their accreditation as a PSAP is important. The background check is very deep and thorough and eliminates a lot people.
Then, there's months of training, sometimes up to a year, before a dispatcher can 'fly solo'.

And then the low pay, as you showed above. There's some effort to fix that, the job is getting reclassified in most places out of the "clerical" category into the "first responder" category. After all, the very first responder is usually the dispatcher.

 

[BinaryMode]

Compared to passing a background check for a CCW in a state that does not allow Constitutional carry, how much more harder is it to enter the dispatcher arena? Obvious physiological background check would be warranted. Isn't?

I remember seeing Ads for dispatchers in my home town on the indeed.com website and after reading the description I quickly realized that it was more than just answering a phone and talking on a radio and having good typing skills.

 

[mmckenna]

Compared to passing a background check for a CCW in a state that does not allow Constitutional carry, how much more harder is it to enter the dispatcher arena? Obvious physiological background check would be warranted. Isn't?

It was a 24 page form that I had to fill out with job history, financial info, some limited health info, list of friends, families etc.
They talked with many of my co workers and sent them questionnaires
They talked to my family and friends.
They came to my neighborhood and talked to my neighbors.
I had to provide my college and high school transcripts.
There was a financial background check
DMV record pull.
Criminal history check (there was none.)
Fingerprinted.
There's also annual training/refresher training on handling CJI/PII (which I don't do, but again, working unescorted in secure environments…)

Since I don't work as a dispatcher, there were steps they skipped over. I just work in the dispatch center periodically, unescorted, so the background check was for their comfort. My process was just making sure I had a clean background and their butts were covered for the accreditation they are required to keep.


The requirements for the full dispatcher certification process are here:

Public Safety Dispatcher Selection Standards

California POST is to establish minimum selection standards for public safety dispatchers employed by agencies participating in the POST public safety dispatcher program. These dispatchers are required to meet certain selection standards.

post.ca.gov

https://post.ca.gov/Portals/0/post_docs/hiring/dispatchers/Tbl1_PSD_Sel_Rqts.pdf

I remember seeing Ads for dispatchers in my home town on the indeed.com website and after reading the description I quickly realized that it was more than just answering a phone and talking on a radio and having good typing skills.

Yeah, it sure is. I know it's not a job for me and doubt I could handle it. It takes a certain type of person.

The job is no joke, that's for sure. The days of just hiring someone that can talk on the phone are long gone.

 

[dbell5302]

Been in the profession for over 35 years. I've worked though many changes in radio and telephone technology (understandably) along with the changes in the types of calls and callers.

We provide service to an area serving just under 400k residents plus a huge transient population due to highways and industry. As others have indicated, it is not a job for everyone, as it takes a certain type of personality to handle the constant stressors of the job and still remain healthy and not take what you deal with home with you at the end of your shift.

What is heard on the receiving end of the radio for many listeners does not do justice to what our staff have to handle throughout their shift (you only hear a very small percentage of the workload), and puts meaning to the "first, first responder" analogy that is associated with our profession. Couple that with technology that keeps even the most die-hard tech-savvy folks on their toes, along with entry level and ongoing training, certifications, and background clearances, it is a very challenging, but rewarding career once you make it through your basic training.

Many ECC's across the nation are short-staffed and welcome anyone up to the challenge of joining our profession.

 

[mmckenna]

Many ECC's across the nation are short-staffed and welcome anyone up to the challenge of joining our profession.

I agree. I started off in my younger years listening to scanners and thought I had a pretty good idea what was going on. Once I started working in the industry and seeing what the dispatchers do, I realized I had no idea what their entire job was like.

Our center has struggled off and on with hiring. They had a few retirements a couple of years back and had started the recruitment process early. Our dispatch manager still ended up working shifts for almost 2 yeas before they were fully staffed/trained again. She was telling me that the washout rate was near 90%, comparing the actual candidates to the number that made it through the hiring process. Of those 10% that actually made it in, not all of them made it through the training process.

 

[K4EET]

This thread highlights both the need for more E9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers in both Fire/EMS and Police as well as provides a glimpse of what life is like in a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) also known as the “9-1-1 Center.”

You can check with your PSAP to see if they offer a supervised private tour so that you can witness first-hand some of the daily activities. Be sure to call the non-emergency telephone number for the PSAP if inquiring about a tour.

The men and women that make up a PSAP are truly a special type of individual that can manage multiple tasks simultaneously under ever changing situations. They deserve your thoughts and prayers because they are usually where emergency calls for service originate when they answer the 9-1-1 call from their jurisdiction’s citizens.

Thanks to @BinaryMode for starting this thread that brings attention to an often overlooked group of individuals, whether sworn personnel or civilians, that provide the critical link between the originating 9-1-1 caller to the responding fire/EMS and/or police unit(s) as required.

 

[BinaryMode]

Couple that with technology that keeps even the most die-hard tech-savvy folks on their toes...

Speaking of technology. You have to wonder if the day will ever come where AI is so good that it can take the job of a dispatcher? I know what most are thinking right now, "no way." But as an everyday user of AI (ChatGPT) and seeing how far it's advanced now in just a couple years it's really unbelievable.

Heck, AI could take the job of a taxicab or tow truck dispatcher, you know?

Thank you for doing what you do and welcome to your first post.

Thanks to @BinaryMode for starting this thread that brings attention to an often overlooked group of individuals, whether sworn personnel or civilians, that provide the critical link between the originating 9-1-1 caller to the responding fire/EMS and/or police unit(s) as required.

You're welcome.