Role of a Dispatcher When

Role of a Dispatcher

When someone dials the police, the fire department, or 911, chances are a dispatcher takes the call, not a field officer. Especially in large urban centers, dispatchers ensure the efficient operation of law enforcement and security services. In fact, it would be almost impossible for police officers to juggle their own calls in a busy area. The dispatcher's role in the overall operations of a police and fire department is essential, integral to providing the public with the services it needs. Officers generally need to fulfill their duties on the streets, not on the telephone. When officers need to maintain communication with each other, with other departments, with hospitals, or with their supervisors, they generally need to go through the dispatcher, who can quickly and easily make the necessary communications connections. Furthermore, dispatching is a highly specialized profession, one that requires enormous patience, skill, flexibility, and concentration. Communication skills are also of the utmost importance in dispatching, for all types of people phone in their concerns and the dispatcher must be able to handle many different kinds of calls, including calls from people who speak other languages and people who are in enough of a panic that they can't form full sentences.

Dispatchers help maintain public safety just as officers do, and are in fact the first contact the public has with the law enforcement or fire safety departments. Because of this, dispatchers who are calm and efficient will best assist callers in receiving the help they need. The dispatcher will field the call and determine how to best handle the situation. In many cases, the dispatcher must prioritize calls so that emergency situations are addressed with greater urgency than more minor ones. For example, a cat stuck in a tree will be assigned a lower priority than a store clerk being held up at gunpoint. Dispatchers are obliged to organize calls in terms of their priorities with an eye for optimal public welfare and safety. Without the dispatcher, prioritization of incoming calls would be less organized and could result in tragedy. Moreover, the dispatcher has to be on the ball about prank calls or false alarms, which can impede public safety and drain essential resources.

Dispatchers also often play a key role in directly assisting the public by providing advice and assistance. For example, the dispatcher might need to keep a caller on the line to offer important first aid procedures in a situation in which it is needed. In these situations, the role of the dispatcher is as important as the role of the emergency technician, for some simple advice given over the phone can help save lives. Similarly, the dispatcher will sometimes need to help keep the caller calm in a frightening situation like an armed burglary. Helping someone to refrain from panicking can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

At the same time the dispatcher keeps a close watch on the field officers, noting their location and their proximity to the person or people in need, so that all parties can communicate efficiently. Dispatchers can fill in the squad cars on the progress of an emergency situation so that they can decide whether backup or ancillary services are required. A dispatcher also relays important information to hospitals and between different public safety departments, as the lines between fire and police departments is sometimes blurred in emergency situations.