Long time lurker on this sub, and very thankful for all the information posted regarding the timeline of the hiring process.

I am just trying to gauge how long from conditional offer to a start date. I signed the conditional offer around end of September, psych eval was beginning of October and now medical exam is end of October. My main concern is on the offer letter it said not to quit my current job until I have been given a start date and that there’s more offers given out than positions available.

My current employer is already aware that I have been going through this process, but I have not provided an official notice that I am leaving. I really appreciate my current employer and would hate to quit without giving proper notice.

Also since my medical exam is end of October, is it common for dispatch centers to start new hires around the holidays? I have no problem working through the holidays, it just seems like it would be easier/more efficient to hire and train someone after the holidays.

I am aware every center is different, I would just like to see what other people’s experience has been.
And for what it’s worth I applied to this position December 2025 so I’ve been playing the long game.

I just cancelled my application because I don’t think I’ve been given a fair opportunity. I was told I had to provide four medical follow up while being very healthy. The amount of time and money I’ve spent the last two weeks on these appointments only to be told I’m not being considered for the hiring class has made me so emotional. The amount of work I’ve put into all of this was so stressful. I was told the testing date doesn’t expire until 2030. I’m sorry but, I’m not holding myself back until then. I don’t feel as if I’ve had an honest start to begin with.

Disclaimer: We live in a rural area, reasonably small county

Dispatcher: BOLO for Grey Ford Truck, unknown year and model, occupied by John Doe, (description) left (address) approx 10 mins ago, no known direction of travel.

Officer #1: What year is the vehicle?

Officer #2: Did they say what kind of Ford Truck?

Ten minutes later:

Officer #1: Show me out with (license plate number) at (location) this vehicle might possibly be BOLO vehicle

Dispatcher: Gives read back of tag info, says vehicle should be silver in color

Officer #2 to Officer #1: Is that the BOLO vehicle?

Officer #1: No, dispatch said this tag came back to a silver truck, the BOLO vehicle is a Grey truck.

Dispatch (not keyed up) WTF did he just say???

So glad my shift was almost over. You REALLY can't make this stuff up!!

last night at 1am i was on the highway and saw someone in need of help who had clearly fallen off of a motorcycle. another civilian was there propping them up. because i was on the highway i took note of the exit number within about a quarter mile of the incident and called 911 as soon as i passed the incident, thinking that they could use that information along with the route and direction i was traveling to help locate where the ambulance should go. the dispatcher didn’t seem to be able to use this information and was asking for the exit name which i wasn’t sure of.

basically: is giving the highway exit number not a good way of pinpointing locations for dispatchers? what could i do differently in the future if i am in this situation again? thank you! for reference this happened in Ohio, USA.

edit: to clarify, the dispatcher was able to use this info but i was just surprised that they still were looking for additional information outside of direction/highway number/exit number.

Hi everyone,

I work on the 911 emergency line and I’m from Mexico. I’m really curious about how things are done in other places. I’ve been following the group, and the way you work is very different from how it’s done in my country.

My interest started because at my workplace it feels like we’re still developing: we don’t have enough tools or information, and what we do have isn’t very sophisticated. I wanted to learn more and find resources I could use for my personal and professional development in this field.

I’d like to ask you to share some of the tools you use, as long as they can be shared, of course. I understand that every place works differently and that some information can’t be disclosed for confidentiality reasons.

If there’s anything I can contribute, I’d be glad to help.

Thank you, and have a great day.

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I have Mod approval to post.

I've been trying to do some research on AI QA programs. They seem like a great resource in principle, we aren't Q'ing enough calls manually. It can be such a process and staffing is short.

To those that are using it currently, do you like it? Do you find benefit in it? Does it save as much time as it seems it would?

How are you verifying the QA reviews? Q'ing 100% of calls sounds great, but what are you doing with all of that data and information? Do you have your QA team reviewing all of the AI reviews for accuracy? Or are you just trusting it?

Having all of that data for every call sounds amazing, but how are you putting that data to use?

In the very early stages on researching this, need to get some demos set up on various products but I'd love to hear from those actually using it today.

I’ll start

Not sure if this is common practice or just in my area but if you make a noise complaint and do not want to talk to an officer 99% chance we do not care and will not go out to that call.

Hello my Reddit users, I’m someone who who recently took a high interest in being a communications operator but my only concern is I’m someone with a criminal record and when I was advised about this career it was a police detective who actually told me the operator position doesn’t do criminal background check which blew my mind cause you’d think if anybody wanted to work for tps certainly there would be checks done. But so far her statement looks kinda true as if been looking around a bunch of other careers in Tps which most of them state they do background checks but when I checked for the operators position it says nothing about background checks being done. So it really gave me a relief and a chance to work for Tps as that was my second option of a career before I got my criminal record but I’m getting worried because I saw a post here on this subreddit about someone waiting for there background checks to clear for the on going hiring stage and I plan to take a course that would be needed to qualify as a candidate for the position but I don’t want to spend 2k$ if at the end there gonna do background checks. So I’m here writing for the first time if there’s anyone who strictly works for Tps as a communications operator can they please clarify there experience throughout the hiring stage from the beginning to the end please and thank you.

It's so rare that we get a lot of real compliments so I just wanted to share after reading another post.

I know many get frustrated with all the hiring questions. Undoubtedly the #1 answer to these questions is 'tell the truth.' It just feels awesome to see that always be the top comment. We're not perfect, but this industry is full of people of quality character.

goodonya

So I start Training two weeks from now and feel like I should utilize this time to study/prepare myself for what’s to come. Are there any specific topics or procedures you’d recommend a newbie study to make the training even a little more easier? Thank you so much in advance! :)

Also any advice is much appreciated! :,)

Hi! I’m a freshly released trainee from class (finished today actually) and I start OJT tomorrow. I got a bag that I thought would fit everything and it does not. What bag do you use to carry your things? I need something that’ll fit my keyboard, headset, notebooks, toiletries, etc.

I have no idea where the iphone satellite comms centre is located (based on a few y'alls I'm assuming somewhere in the US), but if any of you folks are here, I just want to say how much I appreciate you! There have been numerous calls I've taken lately and the level of service and help from these folks was unexpected in a really good way.

And then there's lifeline and the scammy predatory alarm companies - I deter old people I know from using these services. The last lifeline call I took was from someone who sounded like they were working from home, crying kid in the background and all! I'm a mom, I get that kids cry, but when you're trying to tell me about an emergency and I can't hear anything, it's a problem.

Hello, I was looking to get some advice.

I have been attempting to become a 911 dispatcher in the area, and I feel like I have applied for almost every dispatch in the area. I wasn't chosen after all of my evaluations for one. Now recently I was denied for another position, and they said it was due to my background but they didn't specify what. So now I'm wondering, is it because I have applied to so many different positions that they haven't accepted me and I look desperate? Or could it be that I am currently a student so they feel it will be a waste of money to train me?

I'm trying an application for a call taker position, but I feel like I am constantly wasting my time.

If you receive emergency call and you help them out with whatever situation and stay on the phone til help arrives, do most if not all callers thank you and hang up then? Or do people stay on the phone engaging you for some reason instead talking with the police on the scene and the fire fighters. I'm just curious if the call ends when help arrives.

Follow up from 1st post, Bob complained to the manager that I didn't help him during a tragic call. Now he has gotten a few other employees to watch my calls and they reported to the manager when I made mistakes, even though I corrected them. I knew I was being watched and it really affected my performance and confidence. Now I have to go back to work tonight and suck it up and do my best. What's your best advice? Thanks

Hi, I’m an ambulance dispatcher in the UK, a close friend of mine is making suicidal comments, I do not have his address and he will not give it to me. He has not disclosed a plan to me, and I have asked him directly and he has denied a plan multiple times. I am on the phone with him constantly trying to distract him.

in my job, we cannot dispatch ambulances without an address, we haven’t really got the facilities to do so and police don’t always go to mental health related jobs unless there is a threat of violence or safety concerns for others

My question is, if I were to pass a name, DOB, area to interpol would dispatchers be able to trace an address or should I keep trying to convince him to give me an address?

Tia

Recently I experienced my first panic attack, it was quite scary. Left side of body tingling, cold sweat, shortness of breath, chest pain, the whole 9 yards. I called 911 though because I didn’t know at the time it was a panic attack, and to this day it still feels odd to call it just a “panic attack” because everything in that moment felt so real. Like I was going to die.
Understanding this, why would my 911 dispatcher ask me 3 or 4 times to repeat my address? I’m curious because in the moment it actually made me kind of furious and even more anxious. I thought she was hard of hearing but I tried my best to do exactly as she asked amidst all the crazy things my body was doing.
The call specifically started out as follows (yes I remember it well, it was pretty unforgettable)

Dispatcher: “Hello 911 what’s the location of your emergency?”

Me: panicked and shaky voice “Hi it’s (insert personal address) and I think I’m having a stroke”

Dispatcher: “Sorry say that again, your address is…?”

Me: “it’s (insert personal address) please hurry!”

(few seconds of pause here, just imagine me trying to maintain deep breaths on the phone while I hear clickity clackity on the other end of the phone)

Dispatcher: “Sorry you said (listing off only the numbers)”

Me: “it’s (repeats address again including the numbers) my body is going numb please hurry!”

Dispatcher: “okay and you said you’re having a stroke?”

from here on she gets me to do some tests on myself to see if I’m showing signs of a stroke. It felt like forever in the moment but it probably took close to a minute, maybe less, for her to get my info.

I’m not at all wanting to be rude or angry at this dispatcher. They’re doing a job I could never wish upon anyone, especially myself. It’s a tough job. What I want to know is, why did the dispatcher need me to repeat my address so much? Later on at the hospital my father mentioned to me it was likely “a test” and it got me thinking, what really was going on there? Did she already have my address and was more wanting to hear me speak to see if I was slurring words? Or was she genuinely trying to write down my address correctly and needed me to repeat it a few times? And also, for future reference (if it happens again, which I hope I don’t need an ambulance for a very, VERY long time, but if I do…) is there anything I can do to avoid confusion? I want to give the dispatcher the best, clear and concise info I can when I need their help the most.

Hello!

I (24f) had some questions regarding my specific situation and the psych eval. I am currently waiting to hear back about my criticall results but I know that in the future I will need to do the psych eval if I want to get hired.

I’m so nervous about it I kind of want to puke.

Long story short, two years ago I got into a traumatic sledding accident, I basically ripped off half my leg, degloved my groin, shattered my pelvis, I could keep going lol. But I almost died. I ended up having five surgeries in total and have become progressively more disabled since the accident as I continued to injure myself at my previous job. My previous job was working in the same emergency room I almost died in. I mention this because I want to preface: I never let my personal experiences affect my job performance outside of my physical limitations and my very first day back to work after my accident where I had to just take a few minutes and cry in the restroom while I did some deep breathing.

I was an ER Tech for a year after my accident and a PCA before that for 4. I worked primarily with psych patients on the floor and the ER I used to work at is one of the busiest on the west coast. Over the course of the past two years, specifically once I started working in the ER, I have been receiving therapy and am on multiple medications to deal with my mental health issues and physical health issues.

This is kind of all over the place but I have ptsd, anxiety, and depression as well as night terrors primarily from that accident, and I’m worried this is going to automatically disqualify me. Un(fortunately) I’m not a dishonest person- so I’m not going to lie and pretend I don’t have these issues especially because I am actively being treated for it and it is mostly controlled, but I am just scared that I have no chance now.

I also feel like my work actually proves how well I actually handle stress. I mean not everyone almost dies in the same place that they work in lol. But I have also seen MANY difficult things in my line of work. I’ve dealt with people threatening to kill me, pts who have hurt me, held back family from their loved ones as we attempt to revive them, and handle situations that are completely outside of control to the best of my ability. I rarely take work home with me in a negative light. The only struggle I’ve ever had minus my first day back has actually been accepting the fact that I’m not physically able to do my dream job anymore and that I now have to pivot. (I used to want to be a flight medic very badly)

I know that sounds completely sappy, but mixed with the fact that my body can’t really handle my current job’s physical demands much longer I’m desperate to know, am I completely screwed from this one too?

5 hour psych exam yesterday which I thought went well but evidently not. I did talk about my past traumas and anxiety disorder, but let him know it was controlled. He recommended I see a counselor still and I told him that I had been planning to. Anyways, got a call this morning from the captain who has been getting me through this entire hiring process, and he told me that I did not pass. He said that he still believes I'm a really good candidate and wants to see how we can figure it out because he wants me working at their center. He said he has to wait for the verbal report, about a week, to find out our next steps. Has anyone gone through something like this? Can I retake the exam?

I’ve only done it a few times in my life but the first time I did it was for a drunk driver that kept slamming into the median on a busy road. Almost hit oncoming traffic.

Im currently in the process of going through the hiring process. I have bad credit thats pretty recent. Did anyone have the same experience and still got hired? Am I doomed or still have a chance?