What do you use to message your crews. Let’s say you have a gate code and don’t want to have the crew call in for a 4 digit number. We are using google voice for a texting line but want something a little more secure.

One of many phases of being hired is writing a 100 word essay on the why I want to be in dispatch. I know why I want to, but have no clue how to even begin to write 100 words describing…. Ready to pull my hair out!

Hi everyone! I'm currently doing research about various 911 dispatch courses in Ontario. I applied early to the course at Durham college and now I'm curious what peoples thoughts are on it? If anybody has taken the course or have some info regarding it please let me know!

Hey everyone! I've recently been tasked with helping to update the training plan/style/and methods to bring our center into the current century. Our current training is very fragmented, and broken up in a week by week training plan which used to work years ago when we weren't so busy and didn't have all the newer technology that we do now. We have quite a lot of new hires and most of them fail to grasp onto that training plan that is in place because its so old that a lot of it no longer applies to current situations. For background we currently dispatch Fire/Ems/Police/Animal Control and handle non emergency lines for 4 jurisdictions (who all do stuff slightly different), county administration lines for 1 jursidiction and even after hours calls for some other departments. Needless to say we are always busy and I'm looking for some good resources or programs to turn our training completly digital, and drop all paper, and allow the trainees to track thier progress and easily see and find specific documents to help them understand the job better and learn with a more fun and interactive way.

Background investigation question

I am finally in the last steps of my background and I am not sure how they found out I am in therapy but they requested my therapist to release all my information. I wanted to ask what will happen if I deny the request? Will they decline my tentative offers?

Hi everyone! I’m about to take the CritiCall Test for a police dispatcher position at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and I’d love to get insight from anyone who’s worked in a similar role, especially in a medical school or university setting.

I have a strong background in multitasking and customer-facing roles, but I’m curious about what to expect in terms of workload and types of calls. How different is the experience compared to other dispatcher roles? Are there specific challenges unique to a university medical environment that I should be aware of? Any advice on handling the medical aspects or how to prepare would be hugely appreciated!

Thank you in advance for sharing any tips or experiences!

hi all! i posted here recently about my upcoming interview. well it was today! & i felt pretty confident. however it’s the beginning of the interviews and i won’t hear back for probably a month. one of the supervisors told me as i left. i’m a little nervous with some of my past. i know things happen and we’re human, but i wish i could go back and change some things. has anyone been nervous about this and moved on to the next step? i know im going to be in my head about this until i hear back.

as i was shadowing with 2 dispatchers, i was told during the exit interview they’ll discuss a, b, & c.. however i didnt have much of an exit interview. the supervisor said its because its election day and they’re a little hectic. he did however ask if this is still something id consider, especially with the hours and swing shifts. so i’m hopeful. i know i should be positive im just so anxious.

i also wanted to add even though i dont have the best past, (i dont have any felonies & what im a little concerned about was expunged) i still was open about everything else. i have clearances right now for my job, which is working with youth. so im also hopeful with that, i just always feel unsure about it.

any advice is greatly appreciated! thank you.

I’ve applied for 3 agencies near me, I’m beyond excited and I feel well prepared. I have 2 tests with 2 separate agencies coming up next week, and I have a genuine question/fear. I can type relatively quickly, around 50wpm, I’m great at spelling and grammar, but unfortunately I’ve had the habit of looking down at my hands since I was little. It’s not necessarily that I NEED to see which key I’m pressing, it’s more so just a reflex at this point that I can’t control. Is this a red flag? Will they think I’m dumb or inadequate? I can multitask looking up and down at the screen and keyboard quickly, but will this make me look like a poor candidate? It’s horribly embarrassing, and I’m trying really hard to break the habit but I feel like it’s ingrained into my brain. 😭

As a dispatcher, is it frowned upon, or a gray area, if you decide to apply to become an officer?

Along those lines, when in LE, most agencies don’t allow lateral moves or promotion within a certain period (6, 12, or 18 months).

With that said, if I’m a dispatcher, and I’d want to become an officer, it’s correct to say that such move wouldn’t be considered a lateral nor promotion, and I wouldn’t have to wait any period right?

Or would it apply if I’m applying for an officer in the same agency I’m already a dispatcher at?

I just received notice that I've been accepted to test and oral review for a communications officer spot next month. I'm wondering what I might use to prepare myself, what to expect? I'm green - no experience or expectations...so i need to give myself some level of comprehension before I walk in.

Any advice greatly appreciated!!

Hi there folks, I’m scheduled to take my prefex test in a couple weeks and I wanted to see what I should keep an eye out for. Or even what I should practice in order to prepare. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

I’m thinking about transitioning from being a manager to working as a dispatcher. I recently took a workshop on dispatching, and I really enjoyed it—I can see myself in that role, and I feel like a lot of my skills would transfer well from past positions.

Right now, I’m managing a startup franchise, but it’s been frustrating. There are ongoing issues with opening, staffing, and corporate delays. I’m working full-time without benefits, and any commission is minimal. Sometimes we even have delayed pay, which makes saving and covering bills difficult—it’s honestly exhausting. My role is mostly about managing a team and selling memberships and retail, but it’s been far from stable.

I know I’d be good at dispatching, especially since I enjoy helping people and have strong phone skills. I take great notes, type fast, and get along well with others. Ideally, I’d like to try doing both, but I know dispatching has varying hours and can be high-stress. I’d have to step down as manager and adjust my hours if I wanted to make both work. I’ve noticed a lot of dispatcher shifts run on rotations, like 4 on/4 off, or 5 on/2 off, often with mandatory or optional overtime.

Would this be a smart decision, I was told that they would be making hires at the beginning of the year so I’m tryna plan accordingly to get the training in NG911 & Telecommunications/radio system so I can be at the top of the list by Jan

Just submitted my application and it says entry level but what are my chances really? I’m 26, I have a high school diploma, associate’s degree in medical billing and coding(decided that it wasn’t the career path I wanted and spent a couple years totally confused about what I wanted to do until recently), and I’ve had the same job for several years working in a grocery store. I know most people tend to have a longer work history but I’m from a small town where everyone works at the same place unless they’re willing to drive a long distance. I work with people I went to elementary school with and I just want get out and to have a career and do something meaningful with my life and I really have my heart set on this. I know it won’t be an easy job but I’m willing to try and give it my best shot. Any insight or advice would be helpful and appreciated.

So is it just my area, or are these home health aids (and don't get me started on the nursing homes) absolutely headache inducing to deal with?

Don't put me in one of these places when I'm old and infirm, just pull the plug for the grace of God

Passed my polygraph exam today finally in the home stretch! Just have the hearing / eye test left

When dealing with financials in a background check, does medical debt need to be reported now that it doesn't affect your credit score? (I have a few medical accounts in collections because I couldn't pay the minimum $50/month to the dr., hospital, anesthesiologist, radiology dept., etc.)

Hi everyone. What is your take on the information the Fire Officer / Incident Command should be relaying to dispatch?

These guys like to talk and "sound good" on the radio on every incident. It bugs me the amount of information Fire Officer's / Incident Command like to constantly feed over the radio to dispatch. As a former 15 year Fire Officer myself, completely understand milestone reports. But the constant every 90 seconds, "just letting you know" as if the dispatcher is the actual incident commander or direct report.

This is completely satire now, but it would be as if EMS folks constantly keying up sounding like this: "M143, patient contact" 60 seconds later: "Dispatch, just letting you know, patient is A&O, we working on getting vitals right now then will be moving them to the medic unit shortly." "Just letting you know, we are getting the stretcher moved to inside the house" "Dispatch, patient is being loaded onto the stretcher, we are going to be making our way to the medic unit. "Dispatch just letting you know, patient has been loaded but we are going to go ahead and start IV and hook up to the EKG and remain on scene for a couple minutes, we should be enroute shortly" Three minutes later.... "Dispatch, M143, we are enroute to the ER". None of this obviously happens because it is not necessary.

Hi fellow dispatchers.

With the year about to end I'm just starting to think of ideas we can change our schedule. Probably not next year, but perhaps in 2026. I'm curious about your center's mandated overtime and how it works?

If anyone wouldn't mind explaining approximately how many hours per month each dispatcher at your center is being mandated each month (and how many dispatchers you have), how much other additional overtime is available to be picked up (not mandated), and how picking up overtime goes then. Is it seniority, first come first serve, etc.?

My center is being mandated about 12-16 hours each a month of overtime (30 dispatchers + 8 supervisors), pretty much every month, and it has been like that for at least 3 years now, occasionally getting worse or better, but generally staying around 12 hours at least. We also work 1-2 on call shifts a month where we are on call for 8 hours.

Thanks to anybody who has any insight! Appreciate all of you and what you do.

Edit to add - I work 12s on a Pittman schedule. Cannot be mandated into 16s ever.

So i saw the job and i applied for it i did the test and there was this section where they simulated calls where i had to get all the info while i had random popups relating to other calls

And uh... there were times were i missed 2 or 3 sections of info out of first last vin license plate license phone number ect, it was usually the vins out of i think a total of 5 simulated ones?

Am i basically probably already disqualified from that alone? Just wanna know in advance

I just had an interview with my local agency, and was informed that training is typically 3 months at part time hours. And if I need more training time, or if they can’t sign me off on something that will extend the months of training. Is this normal? I am probably going to have to decline the position because I can’t afford to only make part time wage. I had an interview with another agency later today, so hopefully they’re full time, but maybe this is normal and training isn’t full time?

Thanks in advance!

I applied for the dispatcher exam around August and missed the exam date in October. Around the same time I also applied for the administrative aid position and I am scheduled to take the exam on the 15th of this month. I looked online and saw that the application period for the dispatcher is opening again this month. My question is if I take the administrative aid exam would I still be able to take the dispatcher exam and if I pass both will I be able to choose from one or the other or will they assign me a position. From what I gather the dispatcher position has better pay compared to the administrative aid position so that's the one want.

Also I have recently been diagnosed with a health issue that would consider me to have a "disability". I know that I would have to take a physical for either position because i also had an opportunity to work for the MTA as a train conductor about a year ago, but i decided to not pursue it after learning about what the position would entail and the fact that it's a public safety job. I was diagnosed with my health issue after I left the MTA so I'm not sure how that would affect me if I tried to get another city job. Also would my leaving of the MTA have any effect on me trying to get either of these positions? Thanks everyone.

Is anybody in Illinois that can point me in the right direction? I live in Chicago and have been putting off looking into the field of 911 dispatching. Does the job offer training or should I search for it on my own. There’s a local community college in the area with a 911 center to train individuals, but I’ve also heard of jobs offering training as part of the onboarding.

Hey everyone, I’m an aspiring dispatch supervisor who is just waiting for the chance to apply. In the mean time I see all the issues my center has, to be ahead of the game and to look more impressive during an interview I’m creating a training manual since we don’t currently have one (I’m gatekeeping it because I’m not getting paid to do this but I have the time to do it while I’m working and figured it would give me a leg up on anyone else who applies) Please give me ideas on things you’ve found helpful I could add!

Hey, any idea why a post about the experiences of a 911 dispatcher would get instantly removed? I just posted a vent about one of my recent calls (names changed for anonymity, no specific loc mentioned) and it was gone within 30 seconds? Thought this was a safe space for dispatchers to write.

Yesterday I spoke wih 2 women who came running out of the woods in a remote, middle of nowhere back road in a rural county out in the eastern U.S. . Alone, drenched, terrified. One of them (Ashley? Alice? Am I even close?) told me she had autism. I believed her. I had to tell her help was on the way, despite knowing it was at least an hour away, or god forbid, longer. Knowing that the people who stopped to let them call 911 weren't going to stay. Weren't able to. That they didn't have to, something I reminded them of multiple times, hating myself for it. I listened to the autistic woman sob, telling me she didn't have shelter from the rain and that they were scared. Meanwhile, I was wrapped in my own hoodie, sipping an overpriced coffee in a maybe too warm dispatch center. I thought about what she must have been feeling in that moment, how I would have been feeling in that moment, running up to strange men in the middle of nowhere, outside of cell service, pleading that Stranger #1 and Stranger #2 would help me and my friend and not ruin our night further. God forbid adding a mental disorder that likely prevents me from processing it efficiently. And then there's that thought of the men again, god, what if- Stop. The phones ringing again. Disconnect current. Pick up next. Move on. 911, how can I help you?

i hate this job. i hate working 10 and 12 hour shifts with no break, i hate having no say in my schedule because of low seniority, i hate rotting in the same dark room everyday with the same people. Recently i’ve also began to hate callers saying the stupid things they say. I have no time to see friends or family and hate every second im working.

Im burnt out and don’t want to be here anymore but my issue is im moving countries in a year, and have adjusted my lifestyle to the money i make now. I think id have a hard time finding a job that pays the same where im not equally as miserable, and i see no point in training for a different career that i wont stay at longer than a year. I’ve thought about even just picking up a serving job at a nice restaurant in the city. Idk. I’m burnt.

EDIT: Yes i’m burnt and do not enjoy this but i have neverrr put in less effort or been shitty to callers or PD, I still take this job very seriously and would never put other people at risk over my own personal issues with the job.

Is there any good police departments or 911 centers to work at in Maryland? Where the ctos are willing to train trainees and actually have patience.

It seems like a lot of the posts on here are newbies asking for advice, so let’s consolidate! Here is the best advice I have, let me see your best tips and tricks in the comments!

(Former Police Dispatcher for 2 agencies in Texas)

1. ⁠sometimes personalities just don’t match. It’s not your fault and it’s not your trainers fault. If you’re not learning from your trainer, it is not starting drama or being a pot stirrer to go to your training coordinator and ask for someone new.

2. ⁠if you are brand new, no one there knows you yet. They are not going to be able to advocate for you in the same way you can advocate for yourself. If you don’t stand up for yourself and your training experience, chances are no one else will. Your best chance at success is to be your own advocate.

3. ⁠every time you get a new trainer, (if you get more than one) file away everything the last one told you and don’t bring it back until you are on your own. Everyone has their own way of doing things and every trainer is going to tell you that things the last one told you are wrong. Management will always tell you that knowing multiple ways of doing something is good. This is the farthest thing from the truth while you are training. If you try to reconcile both ways of doing it, you’ll just confuse yourself more. Once you are on your own, bring out all the old info you filed away and find the way of doing it that works for you.

4. People will parrot “always fall back on written policy”, that is always a good backup for anything that doesn’t make sense, but mentally prepare yourself for the possibility of a trainer that wants things done their way and only their way. While you are in training you are a sponge. Soak up as much knowledge as you can and fall back on written policy once you are cleared.

5. on your off days open your laptop, put on your favorite show, and just type what they are saying. This will hugely help your transcription speed and accuracy. Improving those two skills will make your life SOOOOO much easier

6. monkeytype is a great, low stress way to practice typing accuracy.

Best of luck to you! Study, keep an open mind, and don’t take the upset callers personally! You got this!

Hi all!

Unfortunately didn’t reach the benchmark in the memory recall portion of the online testing. I would listen to a sequence of numbers - 6-8 digits and then after a few seconds have to type the sequence of numbers correctly. Unfortunately I preformed incredibly poorly in that aspect.

Does anyone have any tips for improving memory recall or any particular online resources or tests that may aid in improving both short term and long term memory. I’ve always struggled with memory but plan on retaking the test in a few months and reapplying so want to ensure I can demonstrate that I have improved!

Our test was at a test centre with a group of people and assuming most people there would’ve passed, I can’t help but shake the feeling of embarrassment that I will be months behind the class I thought I’d start with. Has anyone had to retake the testing multiple times?

Thankyou all