Dispatch Center

Did you know that a dispatcher is the first one at the scene of a crime, fire or medical emergency?

Dispatchers Save Seconds - Seconds Save Lives!�

Who am I?

Hi! I am Tenfour and I am a police dispatcher. I have been dispatching for over ten years. In our dispatch center we are responsible for handling both the 911 and the non emergency calls, as well as dispatching these calls to the officers on the road. My main purpose in creating this page is for public awareness. We don't hear much about our public safety communications dispatchers except for what's out there on the television. Unfortunately the tv doesn't always give a very accurate perception of what we really do. There are a lot of so called 'Emergency' shows but the dispatchers often play only a tiny part in them, if any part at all. Why? I don't know. When you call the police, ambulance or firehall who is your contact person? The Dispatcher!

Why Do We Ask All Those Questions?

Have you ever had to call 911 to report an emergency and wonder why he or she is asking you all those questions? When you are involved in an emergency situation you want to know that the police, fire and or/ambulance are coming. Once an address is obtained you can be sure that emergency vehicles are heading to that location even though you are still on the phone with the dispatcher. We do not wait until the call has terminated before sending help. When you are reporting an emergency try to remain calm; as hard as that may be, so that the dispatcher is able to fully understand what the problem is.Remember that seconds can save lives.

The 6 W's To Remember When Calling 911

1. Where? - Where is this occurring?
2. What? - What is happening?
3. When? - Is this happening now?
4. Who? - Who is the victim, suspect, etc.?
5. Why? - Do you know why this is happening? i.e. depression?
6. Weapons? - Are there any weapons involved?