911 Operators Share The Funny And Wild Calls They Couldn't Take With A Straight Face

Patterson, from the IAED, revealed to Bored Panda how the job of an emergency dispatch worker can have a very strong effect on their emotional well-being. "The job of a 9-1-1 call taker is an emotional one due to the obvious impact of vicarious, frequent tragedy and, perhaps most overlooked, the intense pressure associated with high call volumes, prioritization of limited resources, and periods of intense multitasking," he stressed that employees work with limited resources.

"High on the list of emotional impact are cases that call takers can relate to personally, i.e., the death of a child about the same age as your own child, or the death of father, called in by the son or daughter who found him, when your own father is ill or recently deceased. High volume stressors also have a big impact on emotional well-being, especially when prolonged, as we have seen with the challenges of our recent pandemic," Patterson was candid about the challenges that dispatchers face.

"Most evolved 9-1-1 agencies have Critical Incident Stress Debriefing plans and teams in place to assist emergency dispatchers after low frequency, high-risk incidents, or any time the call taker requests assistance. However, voluntarily seeking help is a challenge for call takers and dispatchers as they may see this as a weakness or an inability to cope while their teammates appear alright," he pointed out that seeking help isn't as easy as it might seem to an outsider.

"A common problem related to all of the above is the lack of legislative standards regarding emergency dispatcher and call taker training. Emergency dispatch in the United States is very fragmented and can vary greatly from state to state, county to county, and even town to town."

We might know to call 911 when we’re in trouble from all the movies and TV shows we’ve watched, but the actual number you need to dial depends on what country you live in. For instance, if you’re in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, congratulations, the number’s still 911, it's very easy to remember.

However, if you’re in the United Kingdom, you need to dial 999. Many former British colonies and overseas territories also use it. Meanwhile, the emergency number in the European Union is 112. The same number also works in India and the UK.

Emergency services, no matter how talented and capable, have limited personnel and resources to work with. Folks call 911 for a variety of reasons. Some have incredibly mundane problems that they need help solving. Others don’t know where else to turn for advice. And some individuals are simply incredibly lonely and just want somebody to talk to—they want to be heard, they want to think that someone cares about them.

Recently, Bored Panda spoke about police operators with a psychotherapist who asked us to remain anonymous because of how sensitive her job is. We spoke about dealing with the stress of the job and resilience.

“People working in emergency services are usually trained on how to react. The entire process usually has a very clear algorithm of actions, the call is standardized and streamlined as much as possible. When you clearly know how to act, there’s a bit less stress,” she explained.

“Usually, stress arises from confusion, a lack of clarity, as well as either too few or too many choices,” she told Bored Panda.

“If an operator is facing a very difficult situation, they can reduce their stress levels with the help of their colleagues,” the expert noted that the dispatcher can ask their coworkers or supervisor for help. They can also redirect the call to specialized services like firefighters or emergency medical services.

The psychotherapist stressed that it’s vital to create very clear boundaries between work and home, as well as to have an unambiguous understanding of what the employee is responsible for.

“You have to clarify which actions were taken to give help to others and what is beyond the competence of the operator. It’s also important to vent the emotions that you feel at work,” she said, adding that emergency dispatchers should speak about the challenges they face with their colleagues or a psychologist.

“Two of the most important factors that help maintain psychological resilience are: the support given by loved ones and colleagues, and the existence of a safe social space to speak about hardships,” the mental health expert told Bored Panda.

“It’s only natural that when you react to dramatic and tragic events, you face emotions like anxiety, anger, a sense of hopelessness, and others. The job of a dispatcher brings with it various psychological challenges, so it’s important to ensure that the people who take up this calling don’t just use up their personal resources but also manage to recharge them,” she said that social relationships, hobbies, support in the workplace, and access to wellbeing consultants can all help.

The psychotherapist believes that people who call 911 operators when there aren’t any emergencies are sending out a plea for help that’s “directed to the wrong address.”

“Odds are that the caller is having a rough time. A large number of them are probably kids or teenagers who aren’t being taken care of by their parents. Or people who have problems with staying sober,” she said that these individuals need attention and would like to be taken care of.

“When they get in touch with emergency services, they feel like they’re being listened to. Sometimes, even an entire team of people reacts to a single person’s problems. It might be that these callers do need (a different kind of) help, but they’re lost or don’t know better and try to look for solutions by calling emergency services.”