CED Emergency Communication & Call Handling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A caller reports a vehicle accident with possible injuries but then goes silent. What is the dispatcher's BEST immediate action?
- Hang up and wait for a callback
- Continue speaking to the caller, announce you are sending help, and keep the line open (Correct answer)
- Transfer the call to a supervisor
- Ask the caller to call back when they can speak
Correct answer: Continue speaking to the caller, announce you are sending help, and keep the line open
Keeping the line open allows the dispatcher to gather additional information and reassure the caller while units are dispatched.
Question 2: Which technique helps a dispatcher quickly verify a caller's location when they are confused or disoriented?
- Ask the caller to count to ten
- Request the caller describe visible landmarks, street signs, or business names nearby (Correct answer)
- Tell the caller to check their GPS app first
- Ask the caller what city they think they are in
Correct answer: Request the caller describe visible landmarks, street signs, or business names nearby
Visible landmarks and signage give concrete reference points the dispatcher can cross-check against mapping tools.
Question 3: When a caller speaks a language the dispatcher does not understand, the FIRST step should be to:
- Ask the caller to find someone who speaks English
- Activate the agency's language line or interpreter service (Correct answer)
- Disconnect and log the call as unintelligible
- Transfer the call to another dispatcher
Correct answer: Activate the agency's language line or interpreter service
Language interpretation services are the standard protocol to ensure non-English speakers receive timely emergency assistance.
Question 4: A caller becomes hysterical and cannot provide coherent information. The dispatcher should:
- Raise their voice to match the caller's urgency
- Speak slowly and calmly, using the caller's name if known, and ask simple yes/no questions (Correct answer)
- Place the caller on hold until they calm down
- Immediately route the call to a crisis counselor
Correct answer: Speak slowly and calmly, using the caller's name if known, and ask simple yes/no questions
A calm, firm voice and simple closed-ended questions help de-escalate the caller's emotional state so information can be gathered.
Question 5: What does 'active listening' mean in the context of emergency dispatching?
- Typing notes while ignoring the caller's tone
- Focusing entirely on the caller, acknowledging responses, and interpreting verbal cues to gather complete information (Correct answer)
- Letting the caller speak without interruption until they finish
- Repeating everything the caller says back to them verbatim
Correct answer: Focusing entirely on the caller, acknowledging responses, and interpreting verbal cues to gather complete information
Active listening combines attention, acknowledgment, and interpretation to extract accurate, complete information under stress.
Question 6: A 911 caller disconnects before giving a location. Under best practices, the dispatcher should:
- Log the call and wait for the caller to call back
- Attempt an immediate callback; if no answer, dispatch units to the ANI/ALI-provided address (Correct answer)
- Mark the call as abandoned with no further action
- Forward the number to law enforcement for follow-up only
Correct answer: Attempt an immediate callback; if no answer, dispatch units to the ANI/ALI-provided address
Attempting a callback and using ANI/ALI data to dispatch units protects life when a disconnected call may indicate a true emergency.
Question 7: During a high-volume incident, a dispatcher should prioritize calls by:
- The order in which they were received, regardless of severity
- Life safety threats first, then property crimes, then non-urgent matters (Correct answer)
- Call duration, assigning more resources to longer calls
- Caller emotional state, prioritizing the most distressed callers
Correct answer: Life safety threats first, then property crimes, then non-urgent matters
Priority dispatch systems rank calls by threat to life so the most critical incidents receive the fastest response.
CED Emergency Communication & Call Handling 2
A caller reports a vehicle accident with possible injuries but then goes silent.
What is the dispatcher's BEST immediate action?