CritiCall Dispatcher Test Call Prioritization and Decision-Making 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A caller reports a house fire with a family member still trapped inside. How should this call be prioritized?
- Highest priority — immediate dispatch of fire and rescue (Correct answer)
- Medium priority — log it and call back later
- Low priority — route to a non-emergency line
- Hold until other calls clear
Correct answer: Highest priority — immediate dispatch of fire and rescue
An active fire with a trapped person is a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate dispatch.
Question 2: Two calls arrive at once: a minor fender-bender with no injuries and a person reporting chest pain. Which do you handle first?
- The chest pain call (Correct answer)
- The fender-bender call
- Whichever called first
- Neither — wait for a supervisor
Correct answer: The chest pain call
Chest pain is a potential cardiac emergency and takes priority over a non-injury collision.
Question 3: A caller is reporting a crime that already happened hours ago with no suspect present. This is best classified as:
- A lower-priority, non-emergency report (Correct answer)
- A top-priority emergency
- An immediate officer-safety call
- A call to ignore
Correct answer: A lower-priority, non-emergency report
A cold report with no ongoing threat is handled as a lower-priority, non-emergency call.
Question 4: When prioritizing simultaneous calls, the most important factor a dispatcher considers is:
- The level of threat to human life (Correct answer)
- The caller's tone of voice
- Which caller is most polite
- The length of the call
Correct answer: The level of threat to human life
Threat to life is the primary determinant of call priority.
Question 5: A caller describes an armed robbery in progress at a store. The correct action is to:
- Dispatch police immediately and keep gathering details (Correct answer)
- Tell the caller to call back later
- Transfer to a records line
- Wait until the robbery ends
Correct answer: Dispatch police immediately and keep gathering details
An in-progress armed robbery is an active danger requiring immediate police response.
Question 6: A non-emergency caller wants to report a barking dog while an emergency line is ringing. You should:
- Answer the emergency line first (Correct answer)
- Finish the barking-dog report first
- Put both on hold
- Ignore the emergency line
Correct answer: Answer the emergency line first
Emergency calls must be answered before non-emergency complaints.
Question 7: Which call should receive the highest dispatch priority?
- A drowning victim being pulled from a pool (Correct answer)
- A noise complaint at a party
- A lost wallet report
- A request for a copy of a police report
Correct answer: A drowning victim being pulled from a pool
A drowning is an immediate life-threatening medical emergency.
CritiCall Dispatcher Test Call Prioritization and Decision-Making 2
A caller reports a house fire with a family member still trapped inside.
How should this call be prioritized?