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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Other - Careers & Employment |
What's it like to be a 9-1-1 dispatcher? |
I have an upcoming interview as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. I have 2 questions- 1) what is the job like, stressful, rewarding, boring? and 2) is this a good "stepping stone" job to get to other, better jobs within the city, county etc, by way of making contacts, preference for upcoming job openings etc. My family just went through a court hearing where a 9-1-1 dispatcher misunderstood an emergency call and it resulted in the death of both paramedics who were sent. The dispatcher's defence was that they work very long shifts, often with no breaks whatsoever, in a work space that is very noisy and stressful. That dispatcher is going to carry what happened with him for the rest of his life. I don't think it's an easy job ... it's probably fulfilling when you know you've helped save a life, but there are also many calls that are heartbreaking, nerve wracking, frustrating or infuriating if they're unnecessary. Good luck with your interview, but don't take the job lightly. that job is high stress ..your're basically responsible for getting the proper authority to help or save someones life possibly.. examples: 911- My baby is choking 911- I just saw someone get shot 911- Someone just burglarized my home you have to be on your P's and Q's and T's with this.. We talk about the police fire departments etc.. we never thank the dispatchers for getting them there to us though..thanx ..its a stressfull job though ..may help with crisis management i dont know about regular city job advancement .. you ever watch Rescue 911? Never a dull moment is a good way to put it. You would think it would always be real emerencies, but it isn't. Once, I got a call from a woman who thought a man drinving around a mall parking lot with a dog in the back of his pich up truck was the worst thing. She kept calling back wondering when we were going to nab this guy, but what really was going on was that the very same mall was being robbed and all the police were in the mall. |
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