Realistic Expectations of and More Training for PSAP Directors

I have often wondered about the appearance of “management” on top ten lists of complaints from emergency dispatchers. In use the term “emergency dispatchers” here rather than “911 dispatchers” because these lists go back before the introduction of the 911 system. Having met many PSAP Directors throughout the US and Canada over the years, it has been my impression that they are hard-working and well-intentioned. They are often sandwiched between the needs of their frontline staff and the financial constraints of the jurisdictions in which they work. My sense is that, overwhelmingly, they want the best for their crews.

That said, I have to note that the people I am speaking of may present this way because of a selection bias in my sample. The only reason I have been talking with them is that I have been there as a consultant or trainer, meaning these PSAP Directors were enlightened enough to understand the need for training and their jurisdictions funded that training.

I don’t know of any meta-analysis of emergency dispatcher complaints over the decades, so I can’t say whether or not only poorly-managed PSAP’s were among those polled for these complaint lists. However, that seems very unlikely. So why do we have this apparent conflict between a positive attitude on the part of PSAP Directors and a lot of unhappy emergency dispatchers? I know the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” But I don’t think that’s the answer here.

In doing research for my book, 911 Dispatchers Are More Than You Might Imagine, I found that much of what is widely thought of as the big stressors for 911 Dispatchers is only a part of the numerous negative forces they face in their job. It’s not just the calls. It’s the pay, the schedules, the social isolation, the habitual short sleep duration. It’s about a number of unrealistic beliefs that are self-damaging. It’s about not having any training about anticipatory anxiety, the importance of dietary habits related to shift work and the effects of Negative Experience Bias. I address all of these in my book, which will be released later this year.

Even though the NENA Standard to Protect the Wellbeing of 9-1-1 Professionals (NENA-STA-002.2-2022, March 14, 2022) is comprehensive and has useful sections and links on concerns like obesity, sleep, resilience training, and Critical Incident Stress, there are still many people who are not yet aware of these influences and consequences. ?Since not too many people in the field have yet realized the existence and compound effects of all these stressors, there’s no reason for us to have another unrealistic expectation that PSAP Directors should be aware of them and the should do something about them.

It may be that the reason people have been complaining for decades about management is that management didn’t know any more about these deleterious influences than anybody else did. Line staff naturally turn to their leaders for relief and direction. But before useful wisdom can be transmitted, it has to be discovered generally and acquired individually. Going forward, it is my hope that well-prepared leaders will result in emotionally well-equipped and physically healthy line staff. I am currently putting together a curriculum outline titled Emotionally Effective Thinking for 911 Professionals that I hope will advance those goals. Dispatchers often complain that they don’t have all the tools and training they need to do their job. In many cases, they are correct. It appears to me that PSAP Directors might be in, as they say, “the same church, different pew.” Directors, too, need more training than is currently available to them. Absent that relevant training, it might be the case that line staff expectations of PSAP Directors is unrealistic. I am hoping that awareness of this fact will motivate local jurisdictions to include such training as part of the promotion process and this will, perhaps, make life a little easier for everyone in the PSAP.