ONLINE 911 Emergency Dispatching: Dealing with the Crisis call: Keeping them on the line
2024-05-10
ONLINE with convenient ZOOM Platform
Instructor: Chief (Ret.) George McNeil (Somerset PD)
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From 12:30pm to 4:30pm
Registration: 12:30pm
This 4 hour block of instruction will highlight steps necessary for a dispatcher to effectively handle a life-threatening call:
- How to identify the call as a person with a crisis.
- Remaining calm in the moment. A crisis can be contagious.
- How to get the caller to share more information. The caller may be more apt to share information if they know your name.
- Find out if the person is in immediate danger. If so, has the police, paramedics, or other appropriate service been contacted? If they haven't, call them, with the caller's permission, if possible.
- Find out if the situation involves a possible abuser or self-abuse. Are there any weapons (guns, knives) in the house. Where are they located? Who and how many people are in the house?
- If the call is suicidal in nature, remember that the caller is usually calling because they want help.
- How to use an understanding voice. "I hear that you are upset. Let's talk about what happened." Ask the caller to "calm down and take a few deep breaths."
- How to get the details. "Tell me more about it," "When did this occur?" If the caller seems reluctant to talk, get them to talk more with a statement such as "Tell me more about it, so I can better understand the situation."
- How to be empathetic by using a crisis you may have been a part of.
- The importance of keeping the caller on the line until assistance arrives.
- The ramifications of hanging up too soon.
Register Now» Offline registration: pheagney@policelegacy.com or call 508-989-9848
» Cost: $179 USD per official.