CritiCall Dispatcher Test Call Prioritization and Decision-Making 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A caller is hysterical and hard to understand. Your first decision-making step should be to:
- Calmly direct the caller to slow down and answer key questions (Correct answer)
- Hang up and wait for them to call back
- Dispatch based on guesses
- Demand they stop crying
Correct answer: Calmly direct the caller to slow down and answer key questions
Calming the caller and asking targeted questions yields the information needed to prioritize correctly.
Question 2: A caller reports smoke but no visible flames in an occupied apartment building. This should be treated as:
- A high-priority fire response (Correct answer)
- A low-priority maintenance issue
- A non-emergency callback
- An ignorable report
Correct answer: A high-priority fire response
Smoke in an occupied building signals a possible fire endangering many lives and warrants high priority.
Question 3: When two equally serious life-threatening calls arrive at once and resources are limited, the dispatcher should:
- Dispatch available units and escalate for additional resources (Correct answer)
- Refuse the second call
- Handle only the louder caller
- Wait for one to resolve itself
Correct answer: Dispatch available units and escalate for additional resources
Dispatch what is available and request additional resources or mutual aid to cover both emergencies.
Question 4: A caller gives an address that does not match the phone's location data. The dispatcher should:
- Verify the actual incident location with the caller (Correct answer)
- Assume the phone data is always correct
- Dispatch to both locations blindly
- Disregard the discrepancy
Correct answer: Verify the actual incident location with the caller
Confirming the true incident location prevents sending units to the wrong place.
Question 5: Which factor would LOWER a call's dispatch priority?
- The incident is over and no one is in danger (Correct answer)
- A weapon is involved
- Someone is injured
- A crime is in progress
Correct answer: The incident is over and no one is in danger
A resolved incident with no remaining danger does not require urgent response.
Question 6: A motorist reports a reckless driver swerving across lanes on the highway. This should be prioritized as:
- An urgent call due to immediate public danger (Correct answer)
- A routine traffic note
- A non-emergency callback
- Something to log only
Correct answer: An urgent call due to immediate public danger
A reckless driver poses an immediate threat to public safety and needs a prompt response.
Question 7: Before dispatching, the most critical piece of information to confirm is the:
- Location of the emergency (Correct answer)
- Caller's full name
- Caller's age
- Time the caller woke up
Correct answer: Location of the emergency
Location is essential so responders can reach the scene.
CritiCall Dispatcher Test Call Prioritization and Decision-Making 3
A caller is hysterical and hard to understand.
Your first decision-making step should be to: