Dispatchers and LODD's

[x635 4,066]

From Billy G at FirefighterCloseCalls;

 

Quote All, Its been a very bad week with the suicide of at least two Firefighters, the Line of Duty deaths of Wilmington Firefighters Lt. Christopher Leach, Firefighter Jerry Fickes and FDNY Deputy Fire Chief Michael Fahy. Our continued condolences to all those suffering due to these horrible losses.   Among so many factors at any working fire are the folks who know about the incidents coming in well before we do-the dispatchers. Mostly known as dispatchers but also communications technicians, telecommunicators, call takers, fire alarm dispatchers-whatever term your area uses-they are the ones that take the call and stay with us throughout the entire incident.   Dispatchers take a beating at many levels. Callers dialing 9-1-1...fire, EMS and police officers on the radio...poor working hours/conditions...poor training...and many other aspects. And EVERYONE knows that they themselves can definitely do a better job than those damn dispatchers.   Tire Screech.  No so fast there, Sherlock.   Until you spend some time on the 9-1-1 call boards actually taking that 9-1-1 call from the woman whose beloved 90 year old husband didn't wake up...the girl who was just physically assaulted...the Mom whose kid was found caught in the drapery cord.....or the Dad whose kids bedroom is on fire....you have no clue.   Until you are on the radio when some lunatic fire officer is verbally annoyed because the power company has no eta for wires down in a hurricane...until you keep trying to dispatch a volunteer FD that is unable to turn out on a run-with no response....until you have to dispatch 20 different FD's, 5 EMS agencies and 15 police departments all with "their own" policies....you have no clue.   And until there is a MAYDAY. You have no clue.   We have advocated for years that dispatchers-in their initial and continuing training-should spend some real time in the field riding with the units they will be dispatching for. When your department is training on ICS-the dispatchers should be an active part of the training. When you are doing fire simulations-the dispatchers should be part of that. Dispatchers are an integral part of every fire scene.    We have equally advocated that all probationary firefighters, EMT's and cops should be required to spend shifts in the dispatch center-right along side those dispatchers-so they fully understand what is done in the field. Anything less creates an "unknown" and we humans pretty much fear the "unknown."    When Firefighters become Officers and Officers become Chiefs-some "ride along" time in the dispatcher center is critical because that dispatcher truly becomes the incident commanders "right hand" during the best - and worst - moments. Good relations and an understanding of the job can only increase the survivability and leadership of any fireground.    A HORRIBLE WEEK.   In the past week, thousands of dispatchers have done an amazing job-a job we-on the other side of the radio-take for granted. Kinda like turning on a light and expecting electricity or turning on a hydrant and expecting water. We take it for granted-and we really should. There should be systems in place in assure that the stuff will work right. That 9-1-1 will work...that tones will activate...that policies and the dispatchers will anticipate our needs...that fire companies will turnout quickly with good staffing...that when you call on the radio, dispatch answers. You know what I mean.   And while thousands of dispatchers do a phenomenal job everyday, we want to focus on the New Castle County (DE), the NYPD and the FDNY Dispatchers. The New Castle County Emergency Communications Center along with the NYPD's "Central" Dispatchers and FDNY's Fire Alarm Dispatchers set the example of professionalism this week for all the world to hear.    It was "the worst day" for those fire departments-and their dispatchers were right there along with them-every second that went by. They knew and did their jobs as you will listen below. They anticipated needs and took actions. They created an environment so that the incident commanders didn't have to worry about that aspect of the situation.    Listen intently to it all. Pass it on to your Dispatchers no matter who or what agency dispatches your fire department-and to their bosses as well. Force feed it if you have to. These are "must listen" events.   And while investigations are hardly complete, listen to "Battalion 19" on the FDNY audio-as we all know now, the Chief was tragically down-but no one who wasn't at the scene knew that initially-yet command was never lost thanks to solid Firefighters who were trained to step in - in those "what if" scenarios. Once again, under tragic circumstances, we all have some learning opportunities.    NYPD & FDNY ADIO CONCURRENTLY: https://youtu.be/yhC023Roj3Q   (FDNY 10-Codes: http://www.fdnewyork.com/10code.asp ) (NYPD 10-Codes: http://www.n2nov.net/nypdcodes.html )   WILMINGTON/NEW CASTLE COUNTY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp4mp5k-b-Y   Our condolences to the families, friends, firefighters, dispatchers, EMT's, police officers and others who are suffering the loss of Wilmington Firefighters Lt. Christopher Leach, Firefighter Jerry Fickes and FDNY Deputy Chief Michael Fahy. RIP. Take Care. Be Careful. Pass It On. BillyG The Secret List 10-1-2016-1230 Hours www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

[AFS1970 504]

What is really needed is the respect. This will not come until two things happen. First is that Dispatchers need to stop looking at this job as a stepping stone, something to do until their real job as a Police Officer or Firefighter comes in. Second is that the field personnel need to stop looking at dispatch as a dumping ground for people that can't hack their jobs. Either your ex-con, semi-retarded nephew who can't pass an agility test or your wife or sister who likes to listen to scanners anyway or even worse that fat guy who almost has his 20 in and needs someplace to hide because you know he should be able to take it easy until his retirement.

 

When you recruit for Firefighters and Police Officers, you have a budget, detail several people to the effort, visit colleges and military bases, set up tables at fairs and community events. When you hire dispatchers you just put a posting up in city buildings and hope for the best or worst, because you don't really care who sits in the chair. Then all of a sudden when your failure to hire right comes back to bite you in the ass you b**** and moan and whine about how bad all dispatchers are. Just remember rarely if ever are dispatchers involved in the hiring process. I know I was interviewed by two Police Captains and a Deputy Fire Chief and an Assistant Fire Chief, of the four I only interacted with one at work and he was rather quickly transferred out of dispatch. Even now almost 30 years later there is rarely more than 1 dispatcher involved in my agency and they are outnumbered by the others so they have little to any real input.

 

As for Ride Alongs, I am not sure they matter much, as the nature of all emergency services jobs are so unpredictable. There is no promise of getting that good call (or that bad one) at any time either by phone or in the station or patrol car. There is no real way to expose each other to the intricacies of the other positions. We can try our best but it just might not happen. The best description I ever heard of this type of work was long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

 

I am glad Chief Goldfeder wrote this, but I can assure you he is the exception to the rule. Although I have never had the chance to meet him, I suspect this is a recent revelation to him and not an opinion he held throughout his career.

Edited October 4, 2016 by AFS1970

[fdalumnus 165]

Never looked down at the dispatchers at 60 Control. Bickered with some at times, but everybody has a difference of opinion now and then. I also always considered them my co-workers, just like the firefighters riding with me. We would many times invite them to our firehouse for a meal or coffee. To me, they did a great job. Of course, some in my profession treated them, lets just say, differently.  

[dwcfireman 656]

On 10/4/2016 at 3:52 PM, fdalumnus said:

Never looked down at the dispatchers at 60 Control. Bickered with some at times, but everybody has a difference of opinion now and then. I also always considered them my co-workers, just like the firefighters riding with me. We would many times invite them to our firehouse for a meal or coffee. To me, they did a great job. Of course, some in my profession treated them, lets just say, differently.  

 

I like the folks at 60 control.  They're just like you and me.  the only difference is that they are not at the scene.  They have to put together a picture of what's going on through your words, and piece together the information of what's going on.  It's a difficult and thankless job, and I'm glad they're there to do it!

 

Praise to thee, dispatchers.  Your are the ones that are sh@t upon when things are going sour, but you are the ones that can get us the sh!t we need when the tough gets going!  Keep up the good work!