Telecommunications Dispatchers need your assistance in getting you the help you need quickly. 

Dispatchers have specific information that they must gather from every caller.  The dispatcher must ask questions in a certain order to quickly determine how the call may best be handled.  It is imperative that when you call 9-1-1, or even the non-emergency number, that you allow the dispatcher to ask you questions to help you efficiently.

When you call 9-1-1:
 

• Tell the dispatcher the exact address or location of the emergency
• Wait for further instructions from the dispatcher
• Do not hang up until the dispatcher directs you to do so

 

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What is an emergency?
 

• Any serious medical problem (i.e.: chest pain, seizure, bleeding, etc…)
• Any type of fire (i.e.: building, car, grass, etc…)
• Any life-threatening situations (i.e.: fights, people with weapons, etc…)
• Any in progress crime (i.e.: burglary of a car or building in progress, etc…)

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What information will the dispatcher need?
 

Calls are handled based on what is happening and when it happened.  All calls are prioritized based on the details the dispatcher obtains. 

   

• Where? – The more exact information the dispatcher is able to obtain, the quicker police, fire or EMS personnel can reach you.
• Name & Phone Number of Caller – This information is generally obtained early in the call in the event that the call is disconnected we are able to reconnect quickly to obtain necessary information.
• What? – This pertains to the nature of the call.  The dispatcher must know what has occurred to determine how best to handle the call.
• When? – Each call is handled differently based on when it occurred.  A caller reporting an offense that just occurred or reporting a medical emergency will be questioned much differently than a caller reporting an incident involving a significant time delay.
• Who? – This information may include who the victim is, who the suspect is, who the witnesses are, or who is reporting the incident.  The dispatcher will also ask for descriptions of certain people involved in an incident to assist responders in identifying who is at the scene.
• Why? – For certain types of incidents, the dispatcher will need to know why the incident occurred.  This information is helpful to emergency responders to have prior to arriving on scene.  The more information they have beforehand, the more quickly they can assist when they arrive.
• How? – Dispatchers only obtain particular details while talking to callers to assist responders in knowing possible safety concerns, suspect information, etc...  The officer will do a complete investigation after arriving on scene.

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Helpful Hints
 

• Always listen to the 9-1-1 dispatcher for guidance.  The questions they ask are for the safety of the public and emergency responders.
• Help is being dispatched as questions are asked, generally by another dispatcher – the questions asked are not delaying a response.
• Remain on the line until you are directed to hang up.  The dispatcher may need more information or to give you further instructions.
• Never call 9-1-1 and hang up without speaking to the dispatcher.  Carrollton's policy on 9-1-1 hang up calls is to call back and attempt to verify if there is an emergency.  If we cannot verify, to our satisfaction, everything is okay, police are sent to the indicated address.  This is to ensure that a person who is incapacitated can receive help without having to talk on the phone.  If you accidentally dial 9-1-1, stay on the line and advise the dispatcher you have misdialed.  This will prevent critical resources from being used to respond to calls made in error.

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Helpful facts to report
 

Callers can be helpful to responding units when they are attempting to locate possible suspects by taking notice of certain things and providing this information to the dispatcher when asked.  Some of these things are:
 

• Which way did the suspect leave?
• Were they running or in a vehicle?
• Which direction where they last seen going?  (north, south, east, west)

Descriptive information can also be very helpful in locating possible suspects.  Some things to consider are:

People:

• Sex
• Race
• Height
• Weight
• Age
• Clothing (head to toe description)
• Distinguishing features, such as glasses, facial hair, scars, tattoos, etc...

Vehicles:

• Color
• Year
• Make
• Model
• Body Style (2 dr., station wagon, SUV, etc...)
• License Plate
• Stickers or other markings such as damage to the body or tinted windows, etc...

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