As time goes on, today's emergency dispatch centers bear witness to one technological innovation after another. The more high-tech the dispatch center becomes, the more of a role the dispatcher can play in using these important features to the best of his or her ability.

This article is designed around the single-staffed dispatch centers that are the lifeblood of many communities across the United States. We will touch on dispatch techniques, problem solving and the best use of today's modern design.

In my 30 years as a fire dispatcher, 24 of them as a supervisor, I have been fortunate to deal with, and learn from many people ranging from those who supervised me, to every employee I have ever worked with, or supervised. I am grateful to all those along my journey.

So you are hired as a fire and EMS dispatcher, or plan to be one. Maybe you have experience, maybe not. Regardless it is important to remember that you have an obligation to learn as much as you can and essentially be the best you can at all times, at someone else's worst moment in life.

A single-staffed dispatch office can usually be identified as a local fire or EMS agency. One that will handle 400 or 800, maybe 1,600 runs a year. In any case, many of the same rules apply.

Alertness

Calls may be far and few in between depending on the size and population of your district. Regardless of whether you are busy or not, every dispatcher must be at the top of his or her game. As the hotline rings, the dispatcher must first ensure composure. Be alert and be ready for the worst. Maybe a loved one just collapsed. Maybe it is a fire and the caller is trapped. Take that second to ensure mental preparation. If you work off paper, have your pen and writing material and be ready to write. If you are a full computer aided dispatch (CAD) center, it may be the keyboard as choice.

Regardless of the manner, your preparation of alertness and readiness, will greatly reduce your need to re-ask a question such as the house number, or street simply because your attention readiness was not where it needed to be. This is a critical moment for both the caller and you. You can ill afford asking these questions over again during a true emergency unless the caller was unclear.

Unclear Voice

From time to time you will have trouble understanding a caller. The most common method to overcome the unclear voice is to get the address in a spelling format. Numbers can be asked in single digit form as well.

Failure to verify through spelling and number digits will result in: