911 Operator Test Situational Judgment and Reasoning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A caller reports witnessing a hit-and-run and provides a partial license plate. What information is MOST critical to obtain next?
- The color and make of the fleeing vehicle (Correct answer)
- The caller's name and date of birth
- Whether the caller has car insurance
- The exact time the caller left home that morning
Correct answer: The color and make of the fleeing vehicle
Vehicle description including color and make helps officers locate the suspect vehicle quickly in combination with the partial plate.
Question 2: An elderly caller is reporting an emergency but cannot recall her address. What is the best way to help her identify her location?
- Ask her to step outside and read the nearest street signs or house numbers (Correct answer)
- Advise her to call a family member who might know the address
- Hang up and use ANI/ALI data to obtain the address from the system
- Ask for her phone number and search it in a phone book
Correct answer: Ask her to step outside and read the nearest street signs or house numbers
Asking the caller to look for visible address clues is faster and more reliable than solely depending on ANI/ALI, which may not be current.
Question 3: A caller reports that their child accidentally swallowed a small button battery. The child appears fine currently. What is the correct response?
- Tell the parent to wait and observe for 24 hours
- Advise the parent to induce vomiting immediately
- Dispatch EMS and advise immediate transport to an ER (Correct answer)
- Suggest calling the pediatrician during business hours
Correct answer: Dispatch EMS and advise immediate transport to an ER
Button batteries can cause severe internal burns within two hours of ingestion and require immediate emergency medical evaluation.
Question 4: You receive a call about a person sitting on a bridge railing. The caller believes the person may be suicidal. Which resource should be dispatched FIRST?
- Animal control
- Fire department with ladder truck only
- Police and EMS (Correct answer)
- Only a mental health crisis counselor
Correct answer: Police and EMS
Police can secure the scene and intervene while EMS stands by for any medical needs following a potential fall or self-harm.
Question 5: While on a call, the line goes silent and the caller does not respond to your prompts. What should you do?
- Disconnect and wait for the caller to call back
- Stay on the line, repeatedly ask if they are okay, and dispatch based on last known information (Correct answer)
- Transfer the call to a supervisor
- Redial the number immediately and if unanswered, close the call
Correct answer: Stay on the line, repeatedly ask if they are okay, and dispatch based on last known information
A silent line may indicate the caller was incapacitated; dispatching on last known information protects the caller.
Question 6: A caller reports a gas leak inside their home. What pre-arrival instruction should be given FIRST?
- Tell them to open windows to ventilate the home
- Tell them to locate and shut off the gas meter valve
- Tell them to leave the home immediately without using light switches or the doorbell (Correct answer)
- Tell them to run water to neutralize the gas
Correct answer: Tell them to leave the home immediately without using light switches or the doorbell
Any electrical spark, including from a light switch or doorbell, can ignite accumulated gas; evacuation without activating any switches is the priority.
Question 7: A caller reports a neighbor using what appears to be a blowtorch near dry brush in high wind conditions. No fire is visible yet. How should this be classified?
- Non-emergency — no fire is present
- Fire hazard requiring fire department notification (Correct answer)
- Noise complaint
- Trespassing issue for police only
Correct answer: Fire hazard requiring fire department notification
The combination of an ignition source, dry brush, and high winds constitutes an imminent fire hazard warranting fire department response.
911 Operator Test Situational Judgment and Reasoning 3
A caller reports witnessing a hit-and-run and provides a partial license plate.
What information is MOST critical to obtain next?