RE: 911:: Re: Training a new dispatcher with prior experience

[Guest guest]

<<snip>>

HA! This motorcycle unit pops up, saying he was " out with a possible at

[location], send me a 2nd unit. "

Oh, my. A possible what? What did I miss? Well, he needs a second unit. I

acknowledge with the location, repeating the request for a 2nd unit - per

policy AND as a matter of course for me - and also ask what he's got. He

repeats, " I'm out with a possible. " Oh jeeez. I must have missed

something, but I don't know what! So, I assign him the second unit, leaving

off " the possible " part because I feel stupid and I don't know WHAT THE HECK

POSSIBLE situation he could have gotten himself into, gosh, there could be

so many different ones! Why didn't he tell me what it was? He must be in a

dicey situation, I think. The responding unit complies, and - of course -

asks why he's needed.

Dang. I don't know; he's got a possible .. something.. or heck, anything...

so I tell the 2nd unit to stand by and I ask the first unit's status. He

replies, " I'm Code 4. " So I still don't know what he's got, but now he

doesn't need any further assistance - whew!, so I canceled the second unit,

who acknowledged me and went on his merry way elsewhere.

<<snip>>

Giggle...giggle.. he, he heeeeee..... " 10-4, I'm not clear on what the term

" possible " means. could you clarify? " that would be me......

I totally relate, ! I sometimes feel pretty stupid at my part time

agency, asking questions I KNOW the answer to, just because I'm not exactly

sure how this agency responds to a particular type of call. (are we

concerned? is it a phone report? do we refer somewhere else? or should I

dispatch additional apparatus like fire/ems?) Especially civil matters....

I know it's a civil matter, but do I need to send an officer? I'd hate to

tell someone, sorry it's a civil matter and then find out that this agency

wants officers sent to take a report anyways...

I have learned to ask the stupid questions. When I get the detectives,

officers or paramedics on the phone that are asking me for stuff I have no

clue how to find, I tell them " I'm new here so it may take me a minute... "

or " I'm new so I'm not quite sure what it is you are asking... " They are

usually sympathetic and will wait patiently or clarify what it is that they

want. Of course, if they need it in a hurry, I'll get someone else to find

it and then have them show me what they did or explain...

Sometimes, I take the information down and look it up myself if I know that

I have been shown how to do something before, but, dang it, I can't remember

how to do it... (it's really bad when you work part time at a new agency)

Like yesterday, an officer wanted me to change the nature of a call that has

been closed out. We can do that, but there is a particular procedure to

follow and I couldn't remember the code to use. So I wrote down what needed

to be changed and who's asking for the change. I looked in my notes (as I

have time) and found the code, then did the change. :-)

Sometimes I find out after I hung up with a caller that I needed to find out

additional information. Not crucial to the call, but just additional

information that they like to get (like the amount stolen by shoplifters.

At UPD, we don't care, but at CSPD they like to know...) I end up having to

call people back pretty often.

Yes, being an experienced dispatcher at a new agency is a pretty humbling

experience. It certainly takes you back to the basics. That's kind of hard

to do at agencies where you are the supervisor or senior dispatcher....

annette hallmark

ahallmark@...