The Job

• Emergency dispatchers answer emergency phone calls, assess call information, assist people during emergency calls, and dispatch the appropriate service agency to an emergency situation. An emergency dispatcher works with agencies such as the police department, the fire department and the swat team.
  
  

A Typical Day

• A day at work for an emergency dispatcher can be very stressful. Emergency dispatchers have to be able to multitask and work under high stress and fast paced environments. An emergency dispatcher often has to handle several emergency situations simoutaneously. Even when a dispatcher center is busy and understaffed, the dispatcher must answer every phone call. When several phone calls must be handled at the same time, the dispatcher must quickly assess which calls must take priority over others. When a dispatcher takes a phone call, he must remain calm and obtain essential information from the caller. The dispatcher decides which emergency agency needs to be called to handle the information. For serious emergencies, the dispatcher remains on the phone with the caller until help arrives. The quick paced environment, with many calls being handled at a time, does not leave any time for the dispatcher to second guess his decisions. He must be quick minded to handle multiple emergencies at once.
  
  

High Risk Situations

• Not only does the emergency caller rely on the dispatcher to assist him, the emergency assistance agencies rely on the dispatcher as well. For instance, if an emergency situation deals with a situation where a person is armed, the dispatcher alerts the police. The dispatcher also keeps the police updated as to the armed person's whereabouts so that the police do not enter the situation blindly.