911 Operator Test 911 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A caller reports a drowning victim who has been pulled from the water and is unresponsive. After instructing bystanders to call back, the operator should provide pre-arrival instructions for:
- Warming the victim with blankets only
- Beginning CPR if the victim is not breathing (Correct answer)
- Rolling the victim on their side to drain water first
- Waiting for EMS before touching the victim
Correct answer: Beginning CPR if the victim is not breathing
CPR should begin immediately for a non-breathing drowning victim; rolling them to drain water is an outdated practice not supported by current guidelines.
Question 2: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 911 centers must:
- Provide TTY/TDD access for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing (Correct answer)
- Only accept voice calls due to technical limitations
- Refer hearing-impaired callers to non-emergency lines
- Require hearing-impaired callers to use a relay service independently
Correct answer: Provide TTY/TDD access for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing
ADA requires PSAPs to provide TTY/TDD compatibility so callers with hearing or speech disabilities have direct access to 911.
Question 3: A caller reports a neighbor who is suicidal and has stated they have a firearm. The operator should dispatch:
- EMS only, since it is a mental health issue
- Law enforcement only to handle the weapon
- Both law enforcement and EMS simultaneously (Correct answer)
- A mental health crisis team only
Correct answer: Both law enforcement and EMS simultaneously
A suicidal person with a weapon requires both law enforcement for scene safety and EMS for potential medical intervention.
Question 4: What is 'Next Generation 911' (NG911) designed to enable that traditional 911 systems cannot?
- Faster dispatch of police-only units
- Multimedia communications including text, video, and images to PSAPs (Correct answer)
- Automatic dispatch without operator intervention
- International 911 call routing
Correct answer: Multimedia communications including text, video, and images to PSAPs
NG911 upgrades the legacy phone-only infrastructure to an IP-based system supporting texts, photos, and video from callers.
Question 5: A caller reporting a residential burglary in progress says the suspect just fled. The operator should:
- Cancel the dispatch since the suspect is gone
- Continue the dispatch, obtain the suspect's description and direction of travel (Correct answer)
- Ask the caller to pursue and observe the suspect
- Downgrade the call to non-emergency and document it
Correct answer: Continue the dispatch, obtain the suspect's description and direction of travel
A fleeing suspect still warrants a police response, and obtaining the description and direction of travel aids in apprehension.
Question 6: Which behavior is considered UNPROFESSIONAL and a potential violation of 911 operator standards?
- Placing a caller on a brief hold to consult a supervisor
- Discussing confidential call details with unauthorized persons after a shift (Correct answer)
- Using a scripted protocol when providing pre-arrival instructions
- Documenting a call immediately after it is completed
Correct answer: Discussing confidential call details with unauthorized persons after a shift
Disclosing confidential call information violates confidentiality policies, HIPAA where applicable, and erodes public trust in the 911 system.
Question 7: A 911 operator receives a call from a child who cannot provide a clear address. The BEST strategy is to:
- Ask the child to go find an adult and call back
- Use simple questions to identify landmarks, the school name, or recognizable locations nearby (Correct answer)
- Trace the call automatically and wait for results
- Ask the child to describe every room in the house
Correct answer: Use simple questions to identify landmarks, the school name, or recognizable locations nearby
Children often respond better to simple landmark-based questions, which can help pinpoint their location when they don't know their address.
911 Operator Test 911 5
A caller reports a drowning victim who has been pulled from the water and is unresponsive.
After instructing bystanders to call back, the operator should provide pre-arrival instructions for: