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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Priceless Question from a friend - Dispatcher

Question from dear friend -
Okay so here is my question: When you're dispatching, you need both hands for the keyboard(s) in front of you, right? So how do you key (is that the right word?) your mic when you need to talk on the radio?

My response -
Your priceless!!! I'm so gonna blog this dear! We use the foot peddle! Unless you are my new agency, of which you take your valuable hand off the keyboard and grab the mouse to click on a button and hold it the entire time you are broadcasting the call. Then you have to play catch up on the keyboard! :-) I adore you!!!

I love it when I get questions about my job. Even more so that I have worked at different agencies and can see a different between a well run agency and, well, frankly one where I pray every day it doesn't hit the fan.

- Dispatcher

5 comments:

Graveyard Dog said...

I ESPECIALLY love the foot pedal when the dispatcher, clerk, visiting officer, whoever doesn't realize that they are standing on it!
:)

Lauren Marie said...

I'm wondering which agency you're referring to as being well-run and which one you're praying for every day ..... I don't know what your new agency is like, but I know your old one is not being very well-run at this time! I've always had a lot of questions about dispatch/dispatchers/dispatching ... I just never think of them at times when it's convenient to ask. You may be receiving a lot of questions from me in the future!

TravelBee said...

Hi Dispatcher - Motorcop suggested you would be a good person to ocntact re a question that I have been interested in for a while now.

How do dispatchers know where a call is being made from? If someone has called 911 on a mobile and the call remains connected with audible yelling/verbal abuse but no direct conversation between call taker and the victim is possible, are dispatchers able to trace that call to a location?

Adding a complicating factor - what about if the location is constantly moving (i.e. in a car)? Does the call need to be connected for a trace to work? How likely is it that dispatchers would take this type of call seriously enough to take it to the point of locating the person? How long would it take.

Thanks for answering - it is much appreciated!

The Dispatcher and Her Officer said...

Graveyard Dog.. Priceless also!!

Lauren Marie... The agency you worked for. You have no idea how well run it really is compared to what I am in now. The agency I am at now is a total mess!!!

And you ask me whatever you want!! I love to talk about it and share about it!
-Dispatcher

The Dispatcher and Her Officer said...

TravelBee....

Standby.. I am answering this in a new post right now... It is an awesome set of questions... and ironically ... My specialty!!!!

-Dispatcher