A day in the life of a dispatcher

A lot of people in the public have asked me what it's like to be a 911 dispatcher.  Most think my job is to answer phones all day, and I once thought that way too.  Oh how wrong I was.  A dispatcher must be able to process a great deal of information, listen to callers, enter that into a computer, calm the caller and get help to them.  All while answering radios, communicating with their partner, and knowing what else is going on with Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS on other calls.  They multitask on a level that could almost put a mother to shame (I said almost, moms!)

I've explained to people that the best way to experience life as a dispatcher is to come down and try it out, we are happy to give tours of our center to groups and curious public.  If you are interested use our contact form or call our administrative line and set one up!

-Eric
Polk County Central Dispatch Webmaster