CritiCall Dispatcher Test Dispatcher Call Prioritization and Decision-Making 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You receive two simultaneous calls: one reporting a vehicle fire with a person trapped inside, and another reporting an armed robbery in progress at a convenience store. Which call should receive priority dispatch?
- Armed robbery in progress — the suspect is still at large and poses a broader public threat
- Vehicle fire with person trapped — life safety for the trapped victim takes immediate precedence (Correct answer)
- Both calls are equal priority and should be dispatched at exactly the same time with the same urgency
- The robbery, because property crime with a weapon is always classified higher than a vehicle incident
Correct answer: Vehicle fire with person trapped — life safety for the trapped victim takes immediate precedence
A person trapped in a burning vehicle faces an immediate, life-threatening situation with no ability to self-rescue. While the robbery also requires urgent response, the trapped victim's survivability window is extremely narrow, making this the highest priority life-safety event.
Question 2: A caller reports that her elderly neighbor has not been seen in three days and is not answering the door. How should a dispatcher typically classify this call?
- Low priority — welfare checks on elderly individuals are routine and non-urgent
- High priority — unexplained absence of a vulnerable person warrants urgent response (Correct answer)
- No priority — this is a civil matter and should be referred to social services only
- Medium priority, but only if the neighbor is over 80 years old
Correct answer: High priority — unexplained absence of a vulnerable person warrants urgent response
Unexplained absence of a vulnerable or elderly person is considered a high-priority welfare check because medical emergencies, falls, or other incapacitating events may have occurred. Time-sensitive response can be life-saving.
Question 3: During a major apartment fire with multiple units responding, you receive a call about a residential alarm sounding two blocks away with no confirmation of smoke or flames. What is the appropriate action?
- Immediately dispatch the same fire units — any alarm could be a real fire
- Log the alarm call and queue it for response once primary fire units are available or a new unit can be assigned (Correct answer)
- Dismiss the alarm call entirely since all units are occupied
- Transfer the caller to the fire department's non-emergency line and take no further action
Correct answer: Log the alarm call and queue it for response once primary fire units are available or a new unit can be assigned
Resource management during a major incident requires dispatchers to triage pending calls. An unconfirmed alarm with no corroborating information is lower priority than a confirmed working fire. The call should be logged and queued for response as resources become available.
Question 4: A caller reports a group of teenagers 'acting suspicious' near a park. Moments later, a second caller reports a child who has fallen into a nearby pond and cannot swim. Which action is correct?
- Continue gathering full details on the suspicious persons call first since it was received first
- Immediately shift focus to the drowning child call and dispatch rescue resources — the suspicious persons call can be handled after (Correct answer)
- Place both callers on hold and consult a supervisor before dispatching either call
- Dispatch for suspicious persons first since that call was already in progress
Correct answer: Immediately shift focus to the drowning child call and dispatch rescue resources — the suspicious persons call can be handled after
A child drowning is an imminent life-threatening emergency with a very short survival window. Call order does not determine priority — severity does. The dispatcher must immediately redirect resources to the drowning while logging the suspicious persons call for follow-up.
Question 5: You are dispatching units to a reported domestic disturbance. The caller then whispers that the suspect has a firearm and hangs up. What is the MOST appropriate next step?
- Wait for the caller to call back to confirm the information before updating responding units
- Immediately upgrade the call priority and relay the weapon information to responding officers before they arrive on scene (Correct answer)
- Downgrade the call since the caller hung up and the information cannot be verified
- Dispatch units at the original priority level and note the firearm information in the call log only
Correct answer: Immediately upgrade the call priority and relay the weapon information to responding officers before they arrive on scene
Officer safety is paramount. Unverified but credible information about a weapon must be immediately communicated to responding units so they can adjust their approach. Waiting for confirmation could cost officers their lives. The call should be upgraded and the information relayed at once.
Question 6: Four calls arrive within sixty seconds of each other. In what order should they be prioritized for dispatch?
- 1. Noise complaint from a bar, 2. Intruder alarm at a bank (unconfirmed), 3. Infant not breathing, 4. Hit-and-run with minor injuries
- 1. Infant not breathing, 2. Hit-and-run with minor injuries, 3. Intruder alarm at a bank (unconfirmed), 4. Noise complaint from a bar (Correct answer)
- 1. Intruder alarm at a bank (unconfirmed), 2. Infant not breathing, 3. Hit-and-run with minor injuries, 4. Noise complaint from a bar
- 1. Hit-and-run with minor injuries, 2. Intruder alarm at a bank (unconfirmed), 3. Infant not breathing, 4. Noise complaint from a bar
Correct answer: 1. Infant not breathing, 2. Hit-and-run with minor injuries, 3. Intruder alarm at a bank (unconfirmed), 4. Noise complaint from a bar
An infant not breathing is a cardiac/respiratory arrest — the highest possible life-safety priority with the narrowest survival window. The hit-and-run with injuries is next as there are confirmed injured parties. An unconfirmed bank alarm is a property/safety concern but lower than confirmed injuries. A noise complaint is the lowest priority with no immediate threat to life.
CritiCall Dispatcher Test Dispatcher Call Prioritization and Decision-Making 1
You receive two simultaneous calls: one reporting a vehicle fire with a person trapped inside, and another reporting an armed robbery in progress at a convenience store.
Which call should receive priority dispatch?