Has anyone worked as an emergency dispatcher?

[anbu2020]

You know....the person who takes 911 calls? I'm thinking of applying for a job in this position, for a city with a population of about 43,000. I've heard it's stressful work...is the stress mostly emotional? Can anyone provide some insight or advice on this type of work? Thanks!





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I am retired dispatcher for Tampa Police Department. When you are a "Dispatcher" the job is very stressful. If you are thinking about applying there are some things you need to ask yourself. Are you strong enough of a person that can stay on the phone with the 7 year old child that is crying telling you his Daddy is hurting his Mommy while you can hear him beating her in the background? You have to be able to get past your personal feelings, without forgetting your human talking to a child, and try to get all the pertinent information and get help out to them. You can not just hang up the phone like you can at home on a prank caller. How about dispatching officers to another officer that has just been shot or is in a "fire fight" and needs help. You can not just get up off the radio because you have to go to the bathroom or you need a smoke or just to get a breather till everything is all over and done. If you think you can honestly handle this kind of stress then please apply. If you hadn't noticed agencies are constantly looking for dispatchers because the job is so stressful and difficult for people to stay for a long time. Dispatchers have a job life span of about 5 years per a study that was done. Good luck to you in which ever you decide.