Dispatcher Map Reading and Directions Flashcards
6 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 6 Dispatcher Map Reading and Directions flashcards as text
A caller says the accident is 'on the westbound side of I-90, just past exit 14'. What does 'westbound side' tell you about unit positioning?
Answer: Units traveling west on I-90 will arrive at the scene naturally; eastbound units must use the next exit and reverse direction
Highway incidents on one side require careful routing — westbound units approach directly; eastbound units need to exit, turn around, and re-enter on the correct side.
You are looking at a map and need to direct a unit from Point A (southeast corner of the service area) to Point B (northwest corner). What is the general direction of travel?
Answer: North and West
Moving from southeast to northwest requires traveling north (away from south) and west (away from east).
A map legend shows that 1 inch = 0.5 miles. An incident is 3 inches from a unit's current position on the map. How far is the incident in miles?
Answer: 1.5 miles
3 inches × 0.5 miles/inch = 1.5 miles. Map scale calculations are a basic but essential dispatch skill.
An officer radios that they are at 'the southeast intersection of Maple and Pine'. On your map, Maple runs north-south and Pine runs east-west. Which corner are they on?
Answer: The corner on the south side of Pine on the east side of Maple
Southeast means south of Pine (the east-west street) and east of Maple (the north-south street) — the lower-right corner of the intersection.
A dispatcher is given coordinates for an incident. The latitude is higher than the precinct's latitude, and the longitude is less negative than the precinct's. In which direction from the precinct is the incident?
Answer: North and East
Higher latitude = further north. Less negative (closer to zero) longitude in the Western Hemisphere = further east. The incident is northeast of the precinct.
You need to describe a location to a unit using the clock-face method. A suspect last seen is directly to the left of the unit's forward direction. What clock position is that?
Answer: 9 o'clock
In the clock-face method, 12 o'clock is forward, 3 o'clock is directly right, 9 o'clock is directly left, and 6 o'clock is directly behind.