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PO Box 7438 • Edmond, Oklahoma 73083
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Where – Although it is not first in the order listed above, many feel that the most important information you need to obtain in a call is Where. You can know What is going on, and Who is involved in it. You can also know When it started, Why it is happening and if Weapons are involved, but if you don't know Where it is occurring, there is no way for you to send help to the involved parties. On the other hand, if the only thing you know about a given situation is Where it is occurring, you can dispatch all agencies to a trouble unknown and let them sort it out. It is for this reason that we feel Where is the most important piece of information for you to ascertain and it should be ascertained first.
Ask caller to state the address where help is needed – Call takers should always determine Where assistance is needed by asking the caller to state the address Where help is needed. Although today's sophisticated 911 systems will usually provide call takers with ANI and ALI information, this information should only be used as a tool to assist you in determining the location of an event. Furthermore, it should never be used as an absolute, unless it is the only information that you have available. There are several reasons for these statements:
Avoid reading ANI or ALI information to your caller – A common practice among call takers is to read the ANI and ALI information off their screen and ask the caller if the information is correct. Again, this is not a recommended practice. You will find that in almost every instance, when you read the ANI or ALI information, the caller will say it is correct, even if it is not. Remember that you are usually talking to an emotional, nervous or frightened individual. The caller may have heard the address, but did not really listen to what you said and was not taking an active part in the conversation. Consequently, a slightly familiar address more than likely will get an affirmative response. It is important to note that by asking the caller to state Where help is needed, you will not only be able to verify the ANI and ALI information, you will also ensure that you get the actual location of the emergency and not Where the caller is calling from. Verify the street suffix – Once you have determined the actual street location, take a moment to verify the street suffix. Is it Street, Avenue, Road, Place, etc? A problem that occurs quite frequently in communications centers is that call takers will take the time to ensure they have the physical address and street name correct, and then will neglect to clarify the suffix, resulting in sending help to the wrong location. In the city where I live there are several different streets with the same name but a different suffix. (For example, 48th Street, 48th Place and 48th Circle.) If you don't take the extra second to get the proper street suffix, response delays most assuredly will occur. Obtain a call-back number – Although it is not specifically part of the address, since you are verifying the ANI and ALI, once you have been able to ascertain the location of the incident, it is important at this point to get a call-back number from the caller. These two pieces of information usually go hand in hand. In the event that you are disconnected or more information is needed, you will have a way of reconnecting with the caller. Additional information for business and apartment complex calls – Finally, when speaking to individuals at a business or apartment complex, make sure that you get the name of the business or apartment complex. It is also important to remember to get a building number or name or an apartment number or name. And when applicable, be sure to get a gate code if it is needed to open a security gate. Whenever you are dealing with a business or apartment in a complex of buildings it is also advisable to get a geographic location of the apartment or business within the complex. What – Another important piece of information to gather is What. What refers to the specific type of event or problem that is going on or the circumstances of the event. Knowing What has occurred will allow you to determine the type of response required and many times will assist you in prioritizing the response needed. As a call taker, it is your job to ascertain the nature of the call and make certain the information received is complete and accurate. Every effort should be made to extract all pertinent information since it is invaluable to the dispatcher and the responding emergency service (police, fire, etc.). The questions that you ask will often depend on the specific type of event that you are dealing with. If information is unavailable, that fact should be indicated on the call report. When – Knowing When the incident occurred will assist you in determining many things. It will help you to determine the priority of the call and the number of units that you assign, as well as many other factors. For example, if someone called in a burglary in progress, you would certainly request different information from this caller than you would if the burglary occurred 24 hours ago. Likewise, if a caller has just been stabbed, the pre-arrival instructions, the number and type of units that you send, and the speed in which you send them will definitely be different than if the caller had been stabbed 2 days earlier. While these examples may seem extreme, the point is that the types of questions you ask, the number of units you send and the priority you give the call will depend a lot upon the type of call you are handling and When the incident occurred. Who – Knowing Who is involved in the situation can also assist you in determining several things. First of all, this information will let you know if you are dealing with a domestic situation or a disturbance between friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. It can also be very helpful to your responding units if you can provide a brief general description of the "players" in the situation so they can quickly identify the involved parties upon their arrival. Furthermore, knowing the number of individuals involved will be extremely helpful in determining the number of units deployed to the scene. In the case of a fire, it is very helpful to the responding units to know how many people were in the structure and where they were located, in order to be sure that everyone escaped safely. In the case of an auto accident, it is helpful to know the number of injured parties, so the appropriate number of units can be sent. Not to sound redundant, but the types of questions that you ask will differ in each situation depending on the type of call you are dealing with. Why or how – Although by the time you get to this point, usually Why or how is pretty obvious. However, if it is not, now would be a good time to ascertain this information. While it is not imperative information to know, it is helpful, especially to the responders, if they know the reason behind the situation they are walking into. This may be especially helpful in assisting units at the scene of a fire. Weapons – You may think that this would pertain to only law enforcement. However, it would be an excellent question for every agency to incorporate in its initial line of telephone questioning. Are there any guns, knives, or any other type of Weapons involved in this incident? It only takes a second to ask, and in the end it could save someone's life. Furthermore, once this question is asked, a statement regarding the type and location of any involved Weapon or a generic statement of "No known Weapons at this time" should be added to the comments of every applicable CAD call generated. As a final note, prior to ending your call, make sure that your caller is aware that if the situation should change before a field unit arrives, he or she should call back and inform the call taker of any and all changes in the situation. As a general statement, I believe you will find that by the end of the first few statements that the caller makes, you will have a general idea as to the type of situation you are dealing with, especially if it is life threatening. When gathering information it is important to note that the speed in which you gather the information you need is extremely important. In an emergency or crisis situation, callers usually feel more confident if the call taker is able to quickly take control of the conversation and gather the information necessary to enter a call for service. While the type of questions that you ask will depend on the type of situation you are handling, they are all geared toward the same common goal: ascertaining enough pertinent and accurate information in order to ensure the safety of the citizens at the scene and the units responding to the scene. |
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