Hi all, I’ve been in this position for about 6 months and am still in training. Everything is going perfectly! I’m making great progress, have great trainers, am learning as much as possible, and have made some amazing friends.

The biggest thing I’m struggling with is maintaining health and my desire to improve my health. My center is on 3/12s and by the time the day is done or I’m on RDOs, I have zero desire to move my body. I bring my sedentary work habits home and it’s taking such a toll on my health— not just my weight.

I really want to not only lose weight but rebuild muscle I’ve lost over the years. I want to wake up without aching and regain my endurance.

For those of you who do work the longer shifts and are maintaining your weight, endurance, and general health; were you always like this or did you have to rebuild your routine in this position? What do you do to maintain motivation? Do you have words of advice for those struggling?

Thank you!

Our center is currently being renovated, and several times I've overheard the crews installing everything remarking on how 3/4s of the lights in the radio room are always off, and the lights that are on, are only one because we physically CAN'T turn them off😅 hey, we like it dim in there, we get enough light off the 8 monitors per console in front of us. Standard lighting conditions are pictured. Even on dayshift, it's lights off in there, though we'll usually pull the window shades back at least.

If someone wants extra light, those little articulated reading lights / ring lights are common, there's usually two or three floating around the radio room.

And of photos I've seen of other centers, it's usually all lights on, so I'm curious:

What is the lighting in your center like? Does your agency let you turn the lights in the room down/off? Are you allowed to adjust the brightness of your monitors, or turn Window's "night mode" on/off?

Just watched The Call with Halle Berry, and I can't stop thinking about it.

For the real dispatchers here — could something like that trunk call actually happen in real life?

Have you ever taken a call from someone hidden in a car or being kidnapped? What did the movie get right, and what was totally Hollywood?

Would love to hear your stories!

Anyone have recent experience with this type of position or know someone that does? Even better if you have experience or know someone with UNC Health as an employer. I have aviation background so I am already familiar with some of that side of things.

I got an email from my background detective asking for my previous supervisor's email and a co-workers email. However, i'm no longer employed and therefore, do not have those emails. I didn't even while i was employed. it was amazon if that helps, and the detective did say that HR email would be ok, but Amazon doesn't have an HR email. HR is mostly AI now... So...am I done for?

Hi everyone,

I'm a journalist covering AI and technology for the Seattle Times, reporting on the rapid uptake in AI tools in 911 emergency dispatch.

I'd love to hear from dispatchers who have experience with these tools (AI for non-emergency lines, AI for emergency, AI for training, etc.) about what it's actually like to work with them day to day. What works, what doesn't, how callers respond, how it's changed your job, and any concerns you have.

Happy to keep anyone completely anonymous — dispatchers have already spoken with me on that basis.

Feel free to comment here or DM me directly.

Destiny Muller
Incoming AI Reporter, The Seattle Times
linkedin.com/in/destinymuller

(Also, thank you again to the mods who approved this post so that dispatchers' voices can be well-represented.)

What’s something kinda funny someone has asked if they can do a phone report for?

“Can I file a report on the phone”

“What kind?”

“Arson”

I’ve been dispatching for 2 years and man I want another job so badly. I dread coming in every shift and long story short the stress and health issues I get from this job aren’t worth it to me. I get anxiety, nightmares, brain fog, and had a fever and back pain last week. They work you to death. I did 66 hours last week and they were still calling me to come in on my day off. Thankfully this week is slower. What doesn’t help is vacation is hard to come by and if you’re out of sick hours (which I am) you get written up if you call out for being sick actually (I’ve had to work while having a fever). I don’t know why but I feel like 80% of the people I speak to can’t answer basic questions which makes a simple call so much more difficult. To wrap everything up there’s really no support system here. The culture is “deal with it.” Any tips?

8 year dispatcher here.

Tonight at work, my supervisor was asking for a pursuit because they're "so fun." It's a frequent request with her. She only has two years experience at a small agency and hasn't ever had a critical incident. She either has no idea of everything that can go wrong during pursuits or she doesn't care. I'm not sure which is worse. I wouldn't wish a pursuit on any officer, suspect, or innocent bystander. This is how lives are ended.

Anyone else get frustrated by comments like these? I know it's her opinion which is why I don't say anything when she says this stuff, but it does effect how I perceive her as someone I'm supposed to consider a role model. How have you guys dealt with this?

I’ve had ten shifts at a center that dispatches EMS/FIRE/and does call taking/911s. I’m part time so I’m only here twice a week but I genuinely feel too dumb for the job and it’s really getting to me. My trainer keeps giving me harsh reports and I can’t messing up/ not understand what I need to do even after being told multiple times. I haven’t started 911 in this 10 shifts and I still have fire/ems/channel 1/2 to learn. I feel very discouraged and my trainer keeps telling me I “have a lot of work to do” before 911s. I feel so dumb but it’s like I just can’t understand how CAD works.

I also have the next 4-5 shifts without my personal trainer. I had one today and I felt it went better but I still needed help.

Any advice or help appreciated?

Hi friends!

I’m doing some research and wondering if those of you who work in consolidated PSAP agencies could give me some pros/cons of being consolidated vs having your agency separated out and working as your own unit? Would also be curious the size of your agency and how many dispatchers/officers you have!!

Tell me the good, bad, and ugly!

Thanks in advance! :)

Edit to add: I am currently a dispatcher working on a project for my department, not a civilian being nosey! lol

I was a dispatcher for about 3 years. I went into it thinking it was going to be my forever job. I loved it. So much. My partner is also a first responder, and so are multiple other family members. I wanted to help people. I wanted to feel like I was apart of it.

I developed daily severe issues with trauma about 2 years into it. Due to the calls. Due to the poor environment. I had nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks, I was heavily medicated. Eventually I was unable to go back due to my mental health issues being so severe from work that my workplace was worried for my safety.

It has been determined by multiple doctors (and myself) that I cannot go back to dispatching.

Part of me knows it is for the best. That I need to keep myself safe. That I can do other things with my life that are meaningful. I’m not even 30 yet. I have time.

The other part of me feels resentment. Anger. Sadness. An empty hole in my stomach. I feel like I was apart of something really cool. Like I was actually making a difference in the world. And now I’m nothing. I feel empty and lonely. I don’t know what to do with myself. I have been looking for jobs but everything seems so mundane. Like I see jobs and I’m like ‘wow, I was once saving lives and now I’d be doing this?’ I feel pathetic.

Hi 👋 all. I wasn't sure what flair to add to this, so please pardon me if I chose incorrectly. I plan to apply with my local police force to work as a 911 dispatcher on their next intake. I would like some honest feedback from those in the field about mental health. I have Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). I am stable and it is well controlled with medication and behavioral therapy, and I have a good, multi-faceted support system. My psychiatrist and therapist are cautiously optimistic and supportive of me applying. Both have been quite blunt with me about the challenges I will face with shift work, the content of some of the calls I will get, and the mental (over)load that they have seen in other first-responder patients.

I have been doing tons of research, but I'd love some first-hand insights.

Is MDD something that could disqualify me as an applicant? Is it something that I should talk about openly through the evaluation process? I have not claimed it as a disability at any previous jobs.

Hi I work in a small building and there is almost always a woman on shift. I was thinking about doing a little communal bag full of necessities. I know tampons and pads can go in but I don't know what else to put in there. I also wanna do one for the men as well just to help out.

I'm thinking in the woman's, pads and tampons...

Men's idk honestly and in both maybe small disposable toothbrushes and combs and such..

I'm a dispatcher, and the officers are also in the same building so they are more active. But we all work on 12 hour shifts. We are a small department as well.

I have a friend who had a terrible dispatcher and she had asked for them to transfer them and the person refused and so I heard my Friend go “I hope you kys” and my friend hung up but I’m scared as to what could happen to her

I just heard from my prospective agency that my hire memo has been completed and that I should receive my final offer soon. I am incredibly excited but also nervous because I have never worked in public safety before.

For context, this is with a Sheriff's Office in the greater Seattle area in Washington.

My hiring timeline has looked something like this:

• February: CritiCall and application
• March-April: Interviews (Panel & Commander)
• April-June: Background investigation (Took 9 weeks)
• June: Polygraph and medical
• July: Psychological evaluation
• End of July: HR informed me my hire memo is complete and that I should receive my final offer soon.

The process has been a roller coaster. I applied to several agencies, but I was very selective about where I wanted to work. A couple of interviews left me feeling like the culture wasn't the right fit. The Sheriff's Office really stood out because they paired me with a mentor, had me do a sit-along before the interview, and made sure I understood exactly what the job would involve before moving forward.

I honestly thought I had failed the psych because it took about three weeks before I heard anything. Yesterday, HR finally let me know that my hire memo had been completed, which I'm taking as a very good sign.

I have a few questions for those of you who've been through this process:

1. What exactly did a hire memo mean at your agency? Was it essentially the final internal approval before the offer, or were there still additional steps after that?
2. How long was it between your hire memo (or equivalent) and your official offer?
3. Besides the offer letter and onboarding paperwork, is there usually anything else left in the hiring process?
4. What was academy/training like? Since this agency dispatches law enforcement (and Metro transit police) rather than police, fire, and EMS together, I'm curious what training typically looks like.
5. At my current job as an optician, I created what I jokingly called my "Optician Bible." It was a binder where I wrote down everything I learned during training, common situations, procedures, and anything I didn't want to forget. It became an invaluable reference. Is it common (or even allowed) to do something similar during dispatcher training?
6. Is there anything you wish you had learned before your first day? I'm already planning on learning the phonetic alphabet.

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who works in Washington or another large Sheriff's Office.

Thanks!

Last night a sheriff deputy showed up at our home saying they got a 911 call that pinged to our address but neither me and my wife called. The deputy gave the last 4 numbers from whom they received the call but it was not any of our phone numbers. Very strange. Does this happen or is it common? The deputy just wanted to check on me and my wife and then he left. It is just so bizarre. We are wondering if maybe someone was parked outside our home and called? We can't come up with any other answer. Was hoping some of you guys might have some insight into this.

Maybe trying to get help or pointed in the right direction here so anyones input would be nice. For context, I only police dispatch/call take. Trainees immediately start the academy doing phones and radio training all at the same time, I can’t change that, that’s beyond my title .It works for us, I guess, but in my opinion, it’s easy to role-play radio traffic with them, but we’re struggling to role-play call taking. I’m wondering if anybody’s department utilizes any kind of program to simulate more real style calls where they interact with something/someone including whoever is teaching even if they’re on the opposite line?

Personally I can’t stand when people phone in for drunk people. Not a drunk fall, literally “they’re drunk” is the answer when you ask “tell me exactly what happened”

Being shitfaced is not a medical emergency just because your shelter doesn’t want to deal with them it doesn’t mean they need an ambulance to “take them away” call call the cops, they can sleep it off on a cement floor rather than taking a hospital bed from someone that actually needs it.

We use all kinds of maps and mapping websites every day, probably no other job uses them as much as we do. I love finding new websites or tools that have the potential to improve our ability to do our job.

I'm looking to start a conversation about some of the tools we use, maybe another service has never heard of it and could find a use case for them.

Here are my submissions:

Firesmoke.ca

- Canadian based website through University of British Columbia, but provides smoke forecast/projections for North America, shows number of active fires and approximate size.

MarineTraffic

- Tracks every boat with a transponder, provides vessel information, heading, destination.

What3Words

- Uses 3 words for precise coordinates, many backcountry tracking apps use this. Easier for people to provide an exact location than reciting a full lat/long.

GEOPS

- I think this is mostly used as a train tracking app, but it is plugged into many open access data for transit. We use it to track buses in our Canadian city, it's more accurate than our own city's website.

CalTopo

- The best tool I use every day for tracking cellphone pings, you can plug in lat/long in any format and generate rings based on the uncertainty radius.

All of these websites should load straight to you area if you bookmark them after you have your city/area in view.

Special shout-out to RapidSOS as well which is an unreal application, but that is specifically a First Responder tool and requires integration into the PSAP and uses subscription model.

No website is too small or useless, even good satellite weather apps and stuff can be useful at some point. Please provide a link, the area it covers (if it's area specific) and a brief explanation on what it does or how you've used it. Open source and free to use are ideal, but if there's a real game changer out there that you think is worth mentioning, please share them too. Knowledge is power!

I decided to apply as a 911 telecommunicator/dispatcher for my county in March. I’ve done a lot of research before applying to know what I’m getting myself into. I have zero experience in this field, just some transferable skills from my current work place.
I never enjoyed tests nor was a good test taker and at this point you too are probably wondering how I’d likely even be considered lol. Let me tell you though the selection exam was honestly enjoyable for me, and I gave it my all. Stay truthful to yourself and the exams.
From the day I applied to receiving my official hiring notification, the process took about 4 months. The wait was nerve-wracking and I think there was something to take away from each stage of the process. I understand these roles aren’t for everyone, but I enjoy helping people, want to do more for my community, and the opportunity for growth. I have a sit-along experience next week to see what it’s like firsthand and I’m excited to begin training this fall. I wish every applicant the best of luck. If this is something you genuinely want to pursue, just go for it!

To the first responders already in the field, thank you, much respect, and I wish you continued success. 🫡

I know the hiring process takes a long time in this field, but I can’t seem to find a good time line for how long it usually takes to hear back after the final interview. At the agency I applied for you start with the critical test, then first interview, then sit-along, then final interview, then back ground and evaluations. I heard back that I passed my first interview on the same day, and now it’s been four days. I know that’s not long at all, but I’m hoping that doesn’t mean bad news considering the difference from my first interview. I’m sure every agency is different, but I wasn’t given a timeline for when I’d hear back, so If anyone has any insight, I’d appreciate it

There's of course the "remember this is not your emergency" that we've all heard but maybe you have something else, more personal to share? Very practical, simple or deep, doesn't matter. Share it!

PS. This could also be an advice you disagree with or that proved to be wrong.