Call Prioritization and Decision-Making Flashcards
7 cards from real CritiCall Dispatcher Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Call Prioritization and Decision-Making flashcards as text
A caller reports a person threatening suicide with a weapon. This call requires:
Answer: Immediate priority dispatch and continuous engagement with the caller
A weapon plus a suicide threat is an immediate life-safety emergency requiring fast response and ongoing contact.
While on a routine call, you hear an officer key up requesting emergency backup. You should:
Answer: Interrupt the routine call to handle the officer's emergency
An officer-safety emergency takes precedence and requires immediate attention.
A caller reports flooding rising rapidly inside a home with elderly residents. The priority is:
Answer: High — potential life threat from rising water
Rapidly rising water with vulnerable occupants creates a life-threatening situation.
When a caller refuses to give their location but reports a serious emergency, the dispatcher should:
Answer: Use all available tools and persistent questioning to determine the location
Dispatchers must use location technology and skilled questioning to locate the emergency.
Which of these calls can typically be placed on hold or handled last?
Answer: A request for directions to a courthouse
A non-urgent information request can safely wait behind genuine emergencies.
A caller reports an unconscious child who is not breathing. The dispatcher should:
Answer: Dispatch EMS immediately and provide pre-arrival CPR instructions
A non-breathing child is a critical emergency needing immediate EMS and life-saving instructions.
The best definition of triage in dispatch is:
Answer: Sorting calls by severity to allocate resources to the most urgent first
Triage means ranking incidents by urgency so the most critical receive resources first.