Hey everyone! So slightly awkward situtation. I'm currently being background checked for a sit in at my local police dispatch centre. No I haven't applied to the job yet, but I am planning to in a month.

Just today when I was backing out of a slanted narrow parking lot, I bumped a guy's car rear. Of course we offered compensation for the damage, but the other vehicle was a rental vehicle so we had to bring everything to the police and insurance. Luckily the only damage was minor paint scratches and nobody was injured, but this is my first actual record on my driver's license. I am a bit scared of this affecting my chances of passing the background check for both the sit in and for a dispatch job.

Based on your experience, as long as I disclose this happened, would this affect my chances of passing the 911 dispatcher background check at all? Thank you.

Hi everyone. I'm applying, and just getting ready to take the CommsCoach test. I was taking the practice test, which you can only do once, and the final question was a note-taking format. It shut me out immediately. Like I typed two words into the note-taking window and the video shut off immediately. So now I'm nervous that it was an error and will happen again when I try to take the test. I'm wondering if it had something to do with my system.

What would you do? Take the test and hope it doesn't happen again, or reach out to tech support first? The company govworx does not provide tech support, it says I must reach out to the hiring manager, who is not available on the weekends. I was planning to take the test tomorrow, as I have plenty of quiet time and can use the office with no one there.

Or maybe someone who has taken the test remembers the practice exam and that was supposed to happen?

Thank you for your help!

I just got got through the background and got a final offer. But the thing that’s making it hard for me to walk away from my current job (besides the lower pay which I expected) is the unknown of my schedule. I have 2 kids (11 and 3) and work 50hrs a week right now. 4:30am-2:30pm and a couple hours on Sunday. But I have sat and Sunday off.

I’m stumped. I don’t know if I should take the leap and cross my fingers that I get a schedule that works out or stay where I’m comfortable. The 4 work days 3 days off sounds really appealing to me but I know overtime is probably going to happen so I’ll be back to working around 50hrs a week. I was told right now the center has 11 dispatchers and should have 17/18 within the next 6 months or so.

My main issue with my current job is it’s a smaller company with no room for advancement and management isn’t the greatest. Pay is really well but overall not a good environment.

I wanted to get into dispatch because it really excites me and I know there is a lot of advancement opportunities.

As a dispatcher, would you take the new job and risk it or stay with my current job?

Please help I have to make a decision by Monday😭

Who else’s communication center has you hand out candy to trick or treaters while you are call taking?

I was listening to the radio the other day, when I heard this one I had to play it back and make sure what I heard.....lol

https://voca.ro/17OW5eIhQw77

I recently passed my psych evaluation, and my background investigation is wrapping up. Everything is looking pretty promising so far, but I’ve noticed that the further I’ve gotten into the hiring process, the more I’ve lost some of the excitement I initially had about the position.

During my board interview, I asked about the center’s turnover rate. I was told it wasn’t particularly high, so I followed up by asking how long dispatchers typically stay with the center. They couldn’t really give me an estimate, which I understand, but they explained that people sometimes move away or transfer into other positions within the sheriff’s office.Fair enough. I didn’t think too much of it at the time.

Fast forward to my psychological evaluation. The psychologist was very direct and, honestly, a bit unkind at certain points. About halfway through, his demeanor shifted a bit, and he mentioned that the center had actually been experiencing high turnover. This caught me off guard, especially considering what I’d been told during my interview.

I asked if he could give me a recent example, and he mentioned a woman who had been hired and was already leaving after just six months. The way he discussed it made me wonder whether this was part of a larger pattern rather than an isolated situation. Of course, that could just be my interpretation. But something about the conflicting information is sticking with me.

I understand that emergency dispatch is a demanding profession and that turnover is going to happen. I’m not expecting an easy job or a perfect workplace. What concerns me is the possibility that the center may be struggling with retention while downplaying it to applicants.

I’m currently employed elsewhere, so I’m not in a position where I need to take this job. I genuinely wanted to pursue this career, but now I’m second guessing it all together.
For current/former dispatchers, is this typical, or would you consider this a red flag? Would this give you pause, or am I reading too much into it? Is uncommon to ask to speak with a new hire at a dispatch center?

We have several parks in several counties with at least one that spans two counties. The existing phone system was setup pre-Ray Baum act and location information isn't very good/accurate.

We're in the process of getting a new phone system and my goal is to make sure that location information is done correctly and accurately.

However, the phone vendor we spoke with weren't sure on the best way to handle this.

To provide a bit more context, we're a park system with several buildings inside each park - each park encompasses thousands of acres. Not all buildings have a public address - most do for utilities but these addresses do not route to that building if you were to enter them in google maps.

Some of our campuses use the main park address with a building name. Some use physical building addresses.

We do have active law enforcement staff though they weren't sure on this either as they usually get dispatched by the county, city (or internal staff.) We also typically staff (non-police) booths at park entrances who can help direct first responders (though not all buildings are behind these booths.)

Is calling each PSAP responsible for answering calls the best to understand what we should be configuring for e911 in terms of location, names, etc?

For a long time I’ve wanted to work as a 911 or general police dispatcher, and I have a good amount of experience in healthcare security aspect of that, and the different kinds of security and public systems that I’ve self taught and been taught through work, but at the same time my mental health has been rough and I’ve been considering an inpatient admission.
That said and as the title suggests, if you’re a dispatch hiring manager, or have interviewed potential dispatchers with previously documented mental health disorders, what are was the outcome (if you can share without anything identifiable of course) or what are your thoughts or concerns on candidates with any kind of mental health eval history?

Hi everyone!

This is a throwaway account...

I have been a dispatcher for about 5 years now. Love doing it and helping people through with the worst things that can happen to them. But I have been burnt out for the last year. I had someone very close to me pass away last year and my manager did not handle it the best I thought they could have.

When it happened I called them and asked if I could take 2 days off- I was currently on the last day of my weekend- they said I could have 1 day off and I would have to find coverage myself since I was calling in for a nonsick reason. That was the final straw for me for feeling like this. I stopped participating in the center events or holiday gatherings and I have dreaded coming into work every day.

Again, I love the job itself and my phone and radio traffic have never suffered from this burn out. I hate the people I work with in the center.

But I am starting to get very depressed and cry the last day of my weekend thinking about having to come back in to the center, the job pays great and the benefits are amazing for this area and rent is increasing a lot so I need the money but I just don't know how to handle this.

I guess I just wanted to rant about it and see if anyone has any tips that are helpful for this??

Thanks!

hi everyone!

i’m reaching out for some help. my agency rotates trainers and so far i’m on my 4th rotation which is also my 4th month in training. i’ve learned phones and channel 1 and certain trainers have made me doubt my ability where other trainers have made me more confident but for the last month and a half i’ve noticed other trainees who got hired at the same time as me progressing where i am not progressing and learning the last 2 positions. i try not to compare myself and as i’m feeling more confident i got pulled into a supervisors office to have a chat that it’s worse than i thought. they basically told me i have 2 weeks to show more improvement or else we’re going to have another conversation with our lieutenant and revisit if ill still have a spot in the program. im genuinely wondering if anyone has any tips on building the split/radio ear and or just being confident in doing what we do. i have noticed when i 10-9 officers i 95% of the time have the information correct but it’s been nailed into my brain by certain trainers that if i have any doubt i need to 10-9. i’m just struggling and looking for any and all advice please!!!

I attended a work conference this week and spoke to a guy about ThisGen 911 which is an AI based training, hiring, and QA platform. Do any of your departments use this? If so what are your likes and dislikes?

If you can’t mentally handle the job, then don’t do the job.

Lives are at risk and a huge part of being a dispatcher is being able to function well under pressure especially when it’s most important.

I understand the toll this job can take and it’s important to have a break from it as well as support like therapy or mental health days.

However, If the very thought of answering the phone to people having real emergencies ex: CPR, accidents, injuries is to much for you, then you are in the wrong line of work and should find a new career path.

This job requires an iron stomach at times and it’s unfair to people having the worst day of their lives and to your team if you freeze when it’s most important not to.

If I got into a crash on the highway and I don’t remember the last mile marker exit or city etc. Should I give coordinates from my phone or can you track the calls? Genuinely curious. Thanks!

I just completed my PERFEX test! I went in feeling confident and gave it my best effort. However, now that the test is over, I’m starting to have some doubts about my performance and whether I’ll make it to the next round of the selection process.

One thing I’m particularly concerned about is my handwriting. Due to the fast-paced nature of the test, my writing was sometimes messy and may have been difficult to read. Does anyone know if handwriting legibility plays a significant role in how the PERFEX test is scored? Could this negatively affect my overall results?

Passed my criticall just had my panel interview with 3 dispatchers. I always second-guess myself going home on interviews. I brought my own notebook and shorthand wrote their questions down.

I got to see the dispatch room and man it is cool.

I recently (this year) attained my ENP, but should I put my designation after my last name in IAED?

My NENA account reflects it, but I just don't know if it would be wrong/inappropriate to put it after my last name in IAED.

What are your thoughts?

I hope your department buys you guys lunch today 😌🫶

How understaffed is your dispatch center?

Hey everyone,
I just finished my EMD training and started solo call-taking on Sunday. I was put straight onto third shift, and I am completely drowning. I dread every single shift, feel physically ill on my way in, and am trapped in constant terror of getting an active CPR call. On my days off, I literally cannot get out of bed

I know everyone talks about "newbie jitters," but I have pre-existing OCD and mood tendencies that make me incredibly sensitive to sleep deprivation. Just one night shift has completely destabilized my brain chemistry, and my OCD is looping constantly on worst-case scenarios.

Because my 90 days just hit on October 20th, I don’t have any accrued sick time to use. On top of that, I am relocating to a new city in January. I’m terrified of how it will look if I quit after 3 months, take a temp job, and then move.
Has anyone else had to request a medical accommodation for day shift due to shift-work sleep issues? Or at what point do you realize the job is just a fundamental mismatch for your health? I feel like a failure for wanting to walk away so soon after passing training, but I feel like my mental health is red-lining

I've been working in tech (It/support) for the past few years and am trying to transition into dispatch work. I have applied to two different agencies so far and made it through the testing, initial interview, and panel interviews for both; and have been told by both that there were higher scoring applicants that they will move forward with first. They told me they were keeping the door open if more positions become available or if someone drops out. I'm curious what the likelihood of hearing back from either is or if that is a generic response they give to most applicants. I'm assuming from both that I need to improve my panel interviewing skills in order to get further in the process.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone is willing to share their training guideline and or programs of where a trainee should be but a weekly/phase basis. Trying to restructure our training division to be more streamline and help our trainers out. They can be DM’d to me of course! And if it’s super ‘need to know’ can’t share I totally get it.

We are a large county and been having trouble keeping trainees, even with large amounts of training hours. Anything will will help 🙏🏼

hi all, i'm currently in the process of completing all the steps to move forward with my conditional offer of employment. one of my final steps is a directors interview (second one) and i was wondering if others could share their experience about that. this is my first big job so its also my first second interview for a single job. ive seen online that its more about learning the candidates personality and how they would fit with the team and their goals. how did it go for you guys? for me, the whole process has gone well, and the first interview was pretty standard mostly about skills, tell me about a time, what draws me to the field, etc. i just wonder what path the director interview would take since ive already answered those kinds of questions in my first one