911 Dispatcher ! Got hired ! what am i in for?

Question

Hi all. I just got hired as a 911 dispatcher for a moderately large city. I am really excited and somewhat nervous as well. First of all I was hired to do both dispatch and 911 call taking-the pay is alittle better for dispatch. I have no experience dispatching. They gave me a choice which position i wanted. Did I make the right one? ....also, can you just give me a run down of how a typical shift goes. work load? breaks? bosses?

Any advice would be great. Thanks!

Answer 1

normal shifts depend on the department you work for... where i live all the city, sheriff and state police work simular hours... 2 weeks days, 2 weeks nights... 6a - 6p and 6p to 6 a.

with every other weekend off.

you will be required to take calls from sucidal people, people who are being abused hurt or even killed or vice versa someone who just killed someone else. it is tough work. and you may have to assist on swat calls and other officers taking bullets...

the work load depends on the calls.. you will have to run backround checks, license plates, people... you may have to type and forward it to your patrol division and you may have to do this with multiple times with just one call.

Answer 2

Retired 9-1-1 Police and Fire Dispatcher II

Congratulations!!  This was my Career.  I do not know what state or Country you are in? I worked in the USA  Iowa, Colorado and California.  Great experiences.  You will do fine.  I worked and trained many Dispatcher I positions that had never dispatched and they did fine.  You may do your turn on graveyards, every department is different.  In California we rotated shifts every 6 weeks.  In Colorado it was 3 months.  Just depends. Work Load.  You will  work and it gets in your blood!, Breaks...appreciate if you have time for them!!!  My Bosses were the same as the Officers.  Some of the best. I wish you the best.  Great Career and very very rewarding!!!

Answer 3

Get ready for the circus of life. You will hear people at their worst, complete morons and everything in between. You will get to know the personalities of the ones who you are dispatching and hear them in all sorts of situations. Good luck, loads of stress. Take a ridealong with a cop if you can before you start working and ask for honest feedback on what they like/dislike about their dispatchers, remember you are their lifeline.

Answer 4

It's a love hate job!! and be prepared to get FAT! If you don't have a regular work out routine...get one!!!! Seriously shift work will do a number on your body. I have been a Police dispatcher for almost 7 years now. Its really easy to put on weight when you sit for 8-12 hours a day. We take 5 min breaks every 2 hours or so. It can get frustrating at times dealing with attitudes from the officers and fellow co-workers due to the high levels of stress. It can be rewarding especially when you know you just helped catch a "bad guy". Everyday is something new. It takes a special person to do that job. Its not for everyone. Congrats and good luck