West Springfield
911 Communications
The West Springfield Police 911/Communications operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Dispatchers are the unseen partners of police officers, firefighters, and medical personnel and receive specialized training in communication skills, handling critical incidents, and multi-tasking, so that they may effectively serve the needs of the community. Using state of the art communications equipment, dispatchers take calls for service by phone, radio, from lobby walk ins and teletypes from other agencies.
The ability to multi-task is an extremely critical part of the dispatcher’s position. The dispatcher is frequently listening to someone on the phone, assisting someone at the window, communicating to officers, monitoring multiple radio frequencies, all at the same time. Sorting out the information and prioritizing takes a unique ability.
The Do’s and Don’ts of the 911 Emergency Number
911 Rules you need to know
Dial 911 only for an emergency
For non emergency calls dial (413) 263-3210
If you dialed 911 in error, DO NOT hang up the phone. Stay on the phone and explain to the dispatcher that you dialed by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. If you hang up, for your safety, police officers will be dispatched to the caller’s address to confirm that there are no emergency services needed. This will needlessly take resources away from genuine emergencies.
When the dispatcher answers, briefly describe the type of incident you are reporting and exactly where the emergency services are needed. In some cases, the dispatcher will keep you on the line while the emergency units are responding to ask additional questions or to obtain ongoing information.
Let the call-taker ask you questions.
Your answers should be brief and responsive. Remain Calm and speak clearly. But be specific. What is happening and where, if you are not in the position to give full answers to the call-taker stay on the phone and the dispatcher will ask you questions that can be answered “yes” or “no”.
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