911 Operators Share The Dumbest Non-Emergency Calls They've Ever Received

Bored Panda reached out to a psychotherapist based in Lithuania for a chat about police operators and dealing with the stress of the job. She preferred to remain anonymous because of how sensitive her work is.

“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,” she said. “When you clearly know how to act, there’s a bit less stress.”

“Usually, stress arises from confusion, a lack of clarity, as well as either too few or too many choices,” the expert told us.

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

According to the psychotherapist, having clear boundaries and responsibilities both help 911 operators from bringing their jobs and the stress back home with them.

“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 urged dispatchers to speak about the difficulties of the job with their other colleagues. If that’s not possible to do, it’s vital that they seek help outside the workplace and speak to 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,” she 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.”

Some ways to recharge include developing high-quality social relationships, hobbies that bring enjoyment (e.g. drawing, music, various sports), and having the support of the workplace which can organize supervisory groups, seminars, and provide access to wellbeing consultants.

We also asked the psychotherapist to comment on the fact that some people call police dispatchers without any emergencies in mind. “I’d call that a plea for help, just directed to the wrong address,” she said.

“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,” the expert said that these people have a need for attention and to be taken care of.

According to her, sometimes even when people directly express these needs, they still don’t necessarily have them taken care of. “However, 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.”