Carrier is the communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information. A number of organizations, including police and firefighters, emergency medical services, motorcycle couriers, taxi providers, trucking companies, trains, and public utility companies, use dispatchers to convey information and coordinate their operations. Basically, the dispatcher is the "conductor" of force, and is responsible for the direction of all units in it.
Video Dispatcher
Carrier type
Telecommunications Public Safety
"Public safety dispatcher" (also known as emergency dispatcher, Telecommunications Officer, Telecommunications or operator 9-1-1) receives calls from individuals requiring assistance from Fire Officers, Police Officers and Emergency Medical Services. Once the information is obtained from the caller, the dispatcher activates the services needed to respond to the nature of the help call. Dispatchers are an integral part of organizational success. According to U.S. Labor Statistics, about 10% of all operational officers employed in the United States in 2004 are public security officers.
Many 911 certified dispatchers are Emergency Medical Dispatchers, or EMD. By using pre-approved protocols, EMD can talk to callers or observers through life-saving medical procedures such as CPR, delivery, and bleeding control. These specialized skills and training make them an integral, but often overlooked, part of emergency services.
Similarly, many dispatchers are Certified Executives or Certified Police Officers.
Dispatchers also operate as eyes and ears to respond to units before they reach the scene, obtaining relevant information to be forwarded to the field unit to help ensure the safety of respondents.
Service and transport officers
A number of other organizations use dispatchers to respond to service calls, coordinate transport schedules, and arrange material shipments. Truck deliveryers are employed by trucking companies to monitor long-haul shipments and coordinate delivery schedules and delivery deliveries. Bus stops monitor their bus fleet schedule and solve problems arising during their operations. Crane truck recipient responds to calls for roadside emergency assistance. Water and gas service officers monitor their respective utilities and receive calls for emergency assistance involving gas and drains. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 26% of all dispatchers working in the United States in 2004 worked for the transportation and warehousing industry.
Railway operators
A rail operator is employed by trains to direct and facilitate the movement of trains over assigned areas, which are usually part of, or all, of the rail operations division. In Canada, railroad operators are known as rail traffic controllers (RTC). In New Zealand and Australia they are known as Train Controllers . Dispatchers are also responsible for the movement of cost-effective trains and rail equipment on other tracks to optimize physical assets (trains) and human resources (crew).
Rail operators are required to be familiar with the physical characteristics of the railway areas that are their responsibility, as well as the operating capabilities of locomotive strengths used. An efficient trainer can use the rules book, the schedule, the train commands, and the knowledge of track conditions to move large numbers of trains safely above the assigned area with minimal delay to any train, even in a single track area.
A crew dispatcher is also employed by trains to track down the crew and their duties. The crew officer is responsible for assigning the train crew to the train, based on the crew's book showing the schedule list, but also making real-time adjustments as necessary based on rail traffic conditions and delays. Crew officers are usually assisted by crew callers who are responsible for calling trains and engine crews to tell them the time to report for duty. The crew officer is also responsible for checking that every train and engine crew has the proper qualifications for their job and has earned the right break in accordance with the relevant working hours regulations.
Flight or flight operator
Flight dispatchers (also known as flight operations personnel) assist in planning the flight path, taking into account wind speed, storm, aircraft performance and loading, and other conditions. Some dispatchers provide the following flight services and advise pilots if conditions or pathways change. They usually work in the operations center or airline controls. In the United States and Canada, aviation dispatchers share legal liability with the Commander (a system of joint responsibility delivery).
Maps Dispatcher
Working conditions and environment
The dispatcher is responsible for monitoring all communications within a specific geographic area. Public safety officers are responsible for all emergency communications that occur within the jurisdiction of their department. These workers receive and document incoming calls, send messages to the appropriate personnel, and keep a diary of their personnel activities. Public security officers usually work in police stations, fire stations, or hospitals. Other dispatcher officers work in centralized communication centers related to their particular company or service.
All types of dispatchers work with phones, radio, ACARS, and computers on a regular basis. They also monitor traffic patterns or other outside activities through video surveillance. As a result of sitting for a long time and using such equipment, the dispatcher can develop eye strain and back problems. Many dispatchers also have to work long hours to provide 24-hour service, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
Public safety dispatchers are usually the first point of contact between emergency and public services. Upon receipt of an incoming call for assistance, the dispatcher shall ensure the nature, location and extent of the emergency. The working conditions of public security officers can be very stressful compared to others because handling calls in an inappropriate manner may delay or mislead other emergency personnel, which can result in serious injury or even death. An operator error in San Juan County, a New Mexico vehicle accident, for example, may cost a living in May 2006. Officers in San Juan County were criticized for not using GPS tracking to find a van that crashed with six people inside. The dispatcher received eleven calls from trapped casualties victims. By the time the rescue team found the van four hours later, all six people were killed. Callers who ask for emergency help are often in a state of high emotional distress, which makes it difficult to get the information necessary to handle calls properly. In the San Juan County incident, the accident victims did not know where they were.
Human error can also produce deadly results for other types of dispatchers. A railway official in Spain was found guilty of negligent killing by a train collision that occurred in June 2003. Nineteen people were killed and forty-eight were injured in an accident in which dispatchers allowed passenger trains to leave the station when railway goods approached the station on the track the same one.
Like very similar control jobs, such as air traffic controllers, the position of dispatcher can be very stressful and full of non-stop work.
Training and work
Jobs as dispatchers usually do not require a higher level of education than a high school diploma, but many who work in those fields hold a liberal arts degree. Employers prefer candidates with computers and administrative skills, communication skills, and the ability to work quickly under pressure.
Prospective workers as public safety dispatchers may be required to pass a written, oral, or performance test and are governed by state or local regulations. Public safety officers should also be certified and attend additional training before or after they are employed by a state or local government to dispatch a police, fire service, or emergency medical service. The level of training required for this dispatcher is usually the most extensive compared to other delivery positions.
The standard certification requirement for public security officers is the certification of Terminal Operators for access to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (NCB) National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database system. Access to these database systems often allows additional access to country-level systems comparable to NCIC that allow public security officers to access motor vehicle registration and driver's license information as well as wishes or guarantees by law enforcement agencies across states and nationalities.
In addition to certification, special training is also required or adapted to public safety dispatchers. Because public security officers are the first contact made between public and emergency services, public security officers must be able to extract very much information from callers. Such specialized training for 911 dispatchers could include: suicide interventions, hostage negotiations, bomb threats, tactical deliveries (for the SWAT team), domestic violence and countermeasures of domestic and foreign terrorism. Many are also trained as Emergency Medical Dispatchers, able to provide first aid instructions to victims or families prior to the arrival of the EMS.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 266,000 people were employed as dispatchers in 2004. Employment for dispatchers is projected to grow as fast as average (increase of 9 to 17 percent) by 2014. In addition, it is expected that a number of current dispatchers will transfer to other work or leave the workforce, which will result in increased openings.
Hardware
The operator's main tool is the sending console. The sending console is a system that connects to a private or public radio system, enabling dispatchers to communicate directly with all field workers, police officers, EMS personnel, and others to coordinate their activities. Dispatcher uses a variety of hardware and software to make deliveries.
See also
- ACARS
- Air traffic controller
- Emergency Medical Dispatcher
- Military
- 911 North
- Women in firefighters
References
External links
- Association of Public Security Communications Officers - Canada
- APCO Institute - Emergency Shipping Program
- Complete list of FAA-Approved FAR Section 65 Aircraft Operator Certification Program
- NENA - National Emergency Number Association
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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